Sea Foam
by localsportsteam
Summary: AU. Eric married a lovely princess from a neighboring kingdom, pushing his fantasy savior woman out of his head. But when the mystery mermaid returns after three years, what will he do?
1. Chapter 1

"Eric, this is a marvelous day for you. Wedding jitters are normal. You aren't feeling anything you shouldn't."

"No, Grim, I guess I'm just not saying it right." Eric spun around, rubbing a gloved hand along the back of his neck, sighing. "It's not jitters, it's not nerves, this just doesn't feel _right_."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm not _excited_. I feel like everyone _but_ me is." Eric paused, but received no reaction. "Is that normal?"

"Eric, do you remember the first time you met the Princess?"

Eric chuckled a little at this. "How could I forget?"

"Did she initially excite you?"

"Well…"

"Did you return home full of sparks and fire, screaming 'she's the one! The one!' at the top of your lungs?"

"No, but-"

"And did you still propose?"

"Because she's a lovely woman; kind and –"

" _Indeed_ , you did." Grimsby rested a hand paternally on Eric's shoulder, smiling up at him confidently. "Eric, my boy, you have the Princess of Glauerhaven, you have _Cora_ , walking to you from the other end of this aisle. Whatever anxieties you have, no matter how they've manifested themselves, will be gone in due time."

Eric gave a curt nod. "You're right, Grim."

…

Was he? It had been three years since Eric's wedding to Princess Cora of Glauerhaven, a small coastal country just east of Greece. She was a fine woman, a loving wife, and a kind ruler. But her presence did not spark him in the way he had always figured a wife, _his_ wife, would. He was attached to her, in every way expected, but he felt no draw. His companions had warned him that excitement and passion fades from a marriage. But did it truly count as fading if it was never there to begin with?

They held a small anniversary celebration; a tea time meal with close friends. The third anniversary was important in the sense that all anniversaries were important, but it was not a milestone and was thus rendered unextraordinary.

After company left, Eric kissed his wife and excused himself for a walk on the beach. He did this frequently, so she simply nodded and wished him well. Thinking time. Eric called for Max, and the dog bounded out to be at his side. The sun was lowering in the sky when Eric found himself struck, as he still sometimes was, by a familiar melody he couldn't seem to shake.

"I looked everywhere, Max." he assured the dog. "She was nowhere to be found. Not at the beach. Not in the kingdom. Nowhere."

Max snorted, reminding Eric that he was, in fact, a dog, and had very little advice to offer.

"Am I horrible for still thinking about her?" Eric asked, knowing he, like always, would receive no answer. "It's been over three years, God, it has to be nearing four, and I can't shake her voice, I can't shake the small glimpse I got of her. She comes about all the time, I'll be out to sea and starting humming the melody, I'll try to sleep and I'll see her face. I have only the vaguest parts of her, and still not even the assurance that she's _real_."

Max stopped in his tracks, raising an ear.

"But Max, she just _has_ to be."

Max started barking furiously, and took off galloping down the beach. Eric stalled in surprise, but the familiar melody that had struck his pet eventually hit him too. With just as much purpose and intensity, Eric took off running in the same direction. He stopped when he saw her, and fell to his knees; out of breath, chest heaving. The two of them, they were on the same beach he had been dragged ashore at, she was perched out on a nearby rock.

She was soaked, absolutely soaked, just like how she must've looked after dragging him ashore. Her lilac dress clung to her legs, bare feet and ankles poking out beneath them. She stopped her song as soon as he came about, clamping a hand over her mouth, but Eric was very positive she was the one singing. As if he could forget that voice. As if he could forget that song. As if he could forget that vibrant red hair. As if he could forget _her_.

He ran out to meet her, and she slid down from her perch on the rock.

"It's you!" Eric exclaimed, both as a fact and a point of excitement. Reaching out to her, he beamed. "It's truly you!"

She grinned, staring up at him. "I never thought I'd see you again."

…

Anniversaries always left an odd taste in her mouth, they left a strange presence behind in celebration rooms, they crept up so quickly and seemed to explode as a burden, and Cora didn't know why. She tried, she always did, truly did. Even when they weren't important anniversaries she tried, and she did it for Eric.

She had tried from the moment she met him, because she was affected by him so. He had come to visit a few years back, pulling in on an unimpressive ship that he did not stop talking about for the first few days of his visit. The two were a prime match in terms of both wealth and politics, and went out on proper courting walks, and dined together at dinner. Eric was always polite, always kind, and very interesting to speak to. She quickly found herself smitten.

And she put in the work to prove it. She would inquire as to his favorite foods, and make sure the cook had them made. She sought him out constantly – appearing in the library when he was reading, standing on the porch when he played with his dog on the beach, asking about his sailing excursions, even if she wasn't of the disposition to go.

That's why, she supposed, she was so devastated that he left so easily. Because this time, she had really tried. Other suitors were fine, upstanding men, and she was never rude to them, not a one! But she had never put in the effort to get to know them in the ways she had tried to know Eric, in the ways she had tried to make him happy.

But alas, her excitement when he wrote to her again! He asked her out to his palace, and after a two week stay, he did propose. He took her out on a walk along the beach, which was initially very unpleasant with the way the sand got into her socks and how her hem dragged in the water, but any inconveniences were rendered unimportant and soon as he kneeled before her.

The two had been married for three years, today, and Cora's only wish was that it felt like she imagined it would've.

…

"Ha, you're telling me!" Eric laughed with disbelief, with ecstasy, with absolute elation because finally, after years of searching, she was _here_!

The girl grabbed his arms and pulled him back and down, until they were both sitting chest-high in the water. "I got cold." She confessed, giggling.

"How did you? Where did you? Why did you?" Eric stammered out questions, unable to form sentences as quickly as he could form thoughts.

She laughed again. "Try just one question at a time."

Eric threaded his fingers through hers. "What is your name?"

"Ariel." She smiled. "And I know you."

"You _saved_ me."

"I've been coming back! Eric, I really wanted to see you again."

"Oh, and how I wanted to see you! I looked all over! My kingdom, the beaches, everywhere!"

Ariel smiled, a bit mysteriously. "If you had looked everywhere, you would've found me."

"Did you always come here? Was I always just a hundred yards short?"

"Not every day, I never knew when you'd be here. I'd always come here on the anniversary of the day I rescued you, I've done so for three years now. I hoped you would remember this place, and I figured that if you were going to come back any day, this would be it."

"I seldom go this far, but am I glad I did! Ariel, it's so nice to _meet_ you! Please, can you come inside? You're _soaked_ , and -"

Ariel beamed at him again (has his heart ever _jumped_ like that before?) but any joy drained from her face as she looked over his shoulder.

"The sun is setting!" she exclaimed, panicking. "I must've lost track of time!"

"So it is.." Eric conceded. "So? We have plenty of extra rooms, would your family mind if you'd stay the night?"

"You really have to go!"

"Not a chance, Ariel, I've been looking for you for years! I can't just _leave_ you!"

Ariel stood up, wobbling, and tugged at Eric's arm to make him stand too. "I mean it!" she exclaimed, checking back at the sun. "Please!"

"When can I see you again, then?" Eric stopped, and grabbed her upper arms.

"Three days!" Ariel burst out. "When the sun rises! Meet me here, three days, **_go_**!"

"Is something wrong? Really? Please tell me, I'll help-"

"Nothing is wrong, I promise, you just need to _go_!"

Eric nodded curtly, withdrawing his hands. "Three days. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Ariel waved goodbye to him, watching to make sure he got far around the bend.

…

Eric held onto the mixing senses of disbelief and excitement as he strolled back home to his castle. She was alive, she was wonderful, and, most importantly, she was real. He had to see her again, no matter the consequences. This would not be their last anniversary.

 **Review, please! Helps to keep a story going.**


	2. Chapter 2

Eric felt like he was floating, lapping at the shores like sea foam. He felt light, and free, and absolutely elated. He had woken up earlier than usual, untangled himself from his wife, and headed down to the fateful spot he had met Ariel, and re-met her just yesterday. Rounding the corner, he felt a pang of disappointment she wasn't there, though he knew he should've expected it. She said three days, so he would see her in three days. He couldn't wait, but he had to.

Of course he was thrilled to see her at all, but she was too late! If only he had looked truly _everywhere_ , if only he had wandered that extra 300 feet down to where she perched the next year, his fate might be different. But now he was married, now he was bound and obligated to Cora.

 _Which is why this was okay_ , he reassured himself. _You know you have a wife, and you love your wife. You love your wife._ He repeated it like a mantra, and nodded to himself while staring out to sea. _You just need to thank Ariel. She did save your life, after all. It's the least you can do._

But, he knew he had a lot to learn. Every bit of her was shrouded in mystery. Ariel just kept appearing, out of seemingly nowhere! How could a person even do that? It was if she was there only when he needed her most; she rescued him continually, in every human way. She was there, against all odds, during that terrible storm, and she had stayed with him, singing and soothing. She was there every year on their anniversary, and she was there on his third anniversary, when he couldn't quite sort out his head. Could something that powerful truly be coincidence? Was he supposed to think that?

He couldn't believe it. She belonged in his life, to some extent. He had never been so eager to see a woman again, and brushing that off as nothing seemed foolish at best. Eric didn't know exactly how Ariel could fit into his life, because he wasn't truly aware of how much space Cora took up.

Cora was his wife, and, of course, that meant she was the first woman he needed to be concerned about. And Eric knew he had made a promise to understand and uphold that on their wedding day. But he was allowed to have friends, guests, and acquaintances. Cora may be the first woman in his life, but she didn't have to be the only one.

 _"Eric, you can't just spend all this time moping about! Get up, do something, have a life!"_

 _Eric was at his desk, where he had been stationed every day before. He picked his head up and swiveled around. "Grim, I've been up! I've been doing things! I'm trying to find her!"_

 _"Eric, you've been looking for weeks!"_

 _"And I'll find her. I know I will." Eric said firmly. "We've searched the whole town, we've scoured the beaches, she must be close by."_

 _"Eric, you need to settle down soon. It isn't just me-"_

 _"I know, Grim. It's the kingdom. The gods themselves!"_

 _"Your parents would've wanted you settled down by now."_

 _Eric stalled a little at this._

 _Grimsby took this as a sign to continue. "They did want love for you, Eric. And you're avoiding it in pursuit of a hallucination. I don't know how you lived through that wreck, but you were fortunate enough to somehow be washed ashore, and you're wasting it in order to look for some girl that happened to be taking a dip hundreds of feet from the shoreline."_

 _"She's real, Grim. I know she is. She has to be." Eric insisted, looking up._

 _"Write to Cora again, Eric. Please. Push this mystery girl out of your mind and look for someone who is real, and sweet, and deeply caring."_

 _"Grimsby, she isn't interested. More importantly, I'm not either."_

 _"Eric, you never gave her a chance. That girl listened to you talk about boats and water and whatnot for weeks. She is interested."_

 _"Grim-"_

 _"Invite her. She'd make a good wife Eric, but you need to at least be willing to give her a chance.'_

 _"But-"_

 _"Marriage isn't this romantic ideal you've built it up to be. If you have two caring people, who put enough time and support into a union, love will blossom, in tandem with passion. I swear to you, Eric. You will not regret writing to Cora."_

He remembered almost hoping that she wouldn't come. That she was too put off by his aloofness, or his never-ending interest in the sea. But her response was timely, and she followed promptly after. Once he started paying attention to her, it became very clear that she indeed was everything Grimsby had sworn. She was very sweet, and charming to be around. She laughed at his quips, seldom though they be. She remembered most everything he said to her, and would bring it up in later conversations.

She was not the mystery girl, she was never Ariel, but she was a wonderful woman. So, later on, when Grimsby brought up the idea of proposing, Eric could not produce a substantial reason as to why not.

So he did and, three years later, here they were.

…

"Ariel, darling, are you okay?" Aquata shook her baby sister's shoulder.

"You look like death!" Attina swam over, feeling Ariel's forehead. "You're so _pale_!"

"I'm fine, really!" Ariel swore, sitting up quickly. _Oof, head rush._

"Are you sure? You were out last night, no?" Andrina quipped, raising an eyebrow.

 _Oh, shut up! Snitch!_ "I just needed some air is all. I wasn't feeling too well last night, but now I am absolutely fine. I promise." Ariel smiled bitterly.

"Then let's go to breakfast!" Artista insisted, adding another coat of mascara.

 _Ugh. Food does not sound good right now._ "Sure thing, darlings." Ariel rose up, still feeling lightheaded.

The group of girls swam out to the dining hall, Ariel bringing up the rear. She just had to keep up. After today, it got better. It was worth it. Just keep up.

 _Ariel heard quiet snores come from all around her. They were all finally asleep. She snuck out quietly, down the hall to the music room. It was such a cluttered, obvious space. Ariel knew she could hide anything in here. She scooted one of the boards to the side, revealing a hole that had been dug out. Resting inside, to be freed only once a year, was a lilac dress._

The seven girls sat at the table, and with every one of their laughs, Ariel felt her head pound. But she couldn't ask them to be quiet. Then they'd go back to questioning her, demanding to know what was wrong, and _why_ something was wrong. She just had to make it thought the meal, then she could leave. Go to her grotto. Lie down.

 _She then moved to the grand hall, where she saw her father's throne. Sitting next to it, as it so often was, was his trident. She could remove it, and she could use it, being of royal mer-blood, but she knew she had nowhere near his power. Not yet. Still, she knew this was important, and that she had to transform herself. She only wished it didn't hurt so much._

Another round of platters and the like were brought out, and Ariel felt faint again. "You know," she mumbled. "I'm really not hungry."

"Why, are you ill?" Andrina piped in.

"On second thought, pass the kelp." Ariel challenged her.

 _She felt the initial zap of the power, and the rest of the transformation flowed through her. She dropped the trident and rocketed to the surface, breaking it just when she was sure she had no breath left. Panting, she paddled over to her rock – their rock – and slipped into the dress. She was exhausted, she was in pain, and she was, once again, reminded why she could only do this once a year._

Breakfast did eventually come to a close, thank Poseidon. Ariel excused herself, crying of errands and trips and chores. The girls bid her goodbye, and Ariel swam off as quickly as she could manage to.

 _She had only 'til sunset. The power was gone too soon. But, as the sun rose, Ariel was still filled with hope that this year, their third anniversary, would be the year they could finally, properly, meet. So she pulled herself up, took a deep breath, and began to sing._

Ariel could only roll the stone that blocked her grotto back a crack; just enough space for her to swim in. She laid on the floor, head spinning, stomach flipping. She was exhausted, she was worn though, and she was pained. But she was also in love, and she would return to Eric, just like she promised she would.

 **Review, please! It's a great incentive to keep writing if I know what people are thinking!**


	3. Chapter 3

Throughout all the tribulations and undulations of her life, Cora could always find solace in one thing; and that was the gardens she tended to so lovingly. Gardens were there when she was born in the Glauerhaven castle, and flushed out with pink and blue pastel hues because there was finally a royal baby.

She remembered being but eight years old, hand in hand with her mother as they strolled through the gardens, and her mother made remarks as to how she had never seen a girl so drawn to, so a part of, the land.

"Why, if I wasn't there for your birth myself, I would've believed you just rose from the dirt and sprung up like a flower!"

Cora beamed at this, and gathered flowers the next day, depositing them in vases all around the castle to show her love and appreciation.

She clung to the young gardener, William, throughout her childhood, asking him questions of variety and upkeep, tips and tricks, begging him to identify another plant, and pick the ones she couldn't reach, until the fifteen year old became so exasperated he exclaimed "Here!" and thrust the trowel into her hands. "You do it!"

Cora was initially taken aback, of course, but she did want to try, and here was her chance! William would tell her the names of all the plants, and Cora would repeat it back as she stuck it in the ground and patted the earth around it, firmly and lovingly. She became better at planting, and she and William became great friends, to the point where she called him Will instead of William, and he called her Cora instead of Bugger Princess.

The garden was there when was thirteen, and crying over her first lost love. She sat under a grove of trees she had helped William plant, curled up in the grass while silent tears ran down her face. She didn't know her heart could physically ache, and how it could spread throughout her body like roots, grabbing hold of her soul and squeezing it too tightly. She didn't know that one could hurt that badly, much less that it could happen more than once. Will found her late that evening, when her parents became alarmed that she did not come down for dinner. She had fallen asleep under the tree, her face still ruddy, breathing still hiccupped and uneven. He had picked her up and carried her back up to her room. She remembered awakening when he plopped her on her bed and mumbled an _oof_!

 _"Will?"_

 _"You're getting big. Hard to carry."_

 _"Of course I'm big. I'm only four years younger than you, and you're big."_

 _"Well then you should know you're far too old to be crying in your gardens."_

 _"They're not my gardens."_

 _"Has no one told you? Everything's yours."_

The gardens were there when she needed distractions, when she needed to do something constructive. She could not pull out her mother's diseases, but she could yank out weeds with fervor and malice. She could not decrease her mom's fever, but she could prune and trim back bushes and trees until they were bright and ready to grow again. And when her mother eventually passed on, she ran from the funeral service to the mourning gardens, and took what little comfort could be found in the fact that her tears watered the flowers she laid upon.

Cora knew to never bring her beaus to the gardens, lest they forever associate themselves with it, and then break her heart. She would not see the gardens ruined through association, not after all they had done for her, nor after all the love and time she had put into them.

She and Will did almost all of the work, and Cora noted with pride that Will was the only man, save for her father, that was able to set foot in the gardens. She paid tribute to him and to this achievement, by planting flowers as blue as his eyes, and watering the dirt until it was as dark as his hair. She did not tell him that this was her intent, but she always giggled when he commented on how nice everything looked.

It was hard to leave it behind when she moved to Eric's kingdom. She had tried to devise a system where she could bring over a grouping of the plants in little planters, but the journey was too long and the fresh water to precious, it wasn't able to be done. She arrived at what was to become her new home three years ago, and despite the elation she felt to be marrying such a wonderful man, she could never quite forget how her heart sunk when she saw there were no gardens.

…

Finally, three days had come and gone from Eric's re-introduction to Ariel. He felt this need to be sneaky, and a lingering sense of guilt as he crept out of his bedroom, and went out the back exit through the gardens. His wife had been planting things in an open patch of land for just under three years; she began as soon as they were back from their honeymoon. She was fondest of the light blue pansies, so he took extra care to not step on those.

He tried to stroll coolly to the rock; composed, refined, but he could not manage. One sight of her, and he took off. Eric beamed as he saw that she was there. In the very same, soaking wet, lilac dress, she was there. She had climbed down from her fateful rock and waded out of the ocean and she was standing there on the sandy beach, as if she did not quite know where she belonged; whether she should head towards his castle, or return to her initial perch.

"Ariel!" Eric beamed, running up to her and taking her in his arms.

"Hello, hello!" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and jumping off the ground.

"Oh," Eric put her down but did not let her go, inhaling her scent. "It's so wonderful to see you again!"

"You as well!" Ariel beamed. "I'm still in shock, if you must know. Why, when I got here-"

"Where did you come from?" Eric didn't mean to interrupt, but as soon as the question entered his mind, he had to ask it. It was far too big a mystery.

She seemed suddenly uneasy, and stammered. "W-what?"

"Wherever do you come from?" Eric repeated. "What is your home?"

She paused, then choked out "I – I don't have one."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"Then, please, you must stay with me!" Eric insisted, squeezing her tighter.

"Well, yes, that would be very lovely, of course."

"Then come, please. Do you have any family, a home of any sort?"

"Well, it's all very complicated." Eric looked confused, so she lied again. "But no. To both."

"Then, please, I insist!" Eric exclaimed, slipping an arm around her waist and leading her to the castle.

Ariel knew she had just gotten herself into a mound of trouble, but she couldn't quell the general feeling of excitement to be here, on land, headed toward a castle, with Eric! She picked up her sopping skirts and shrugged a little. She needed a bit of time to think, but she'd find a way to fix this. She always did.

…

"So sorry we're late!" Eric called out, throwing open one of the doors to the dining room.

"Oh, don't worry." Cora smiled. "You're only late by a few minutes. Besides, you're so excited, whatever was keeping you must've been worth it." she paused, and ran his exclamation through her head once more. "We're?"

"Cora, you won't believe what happened today!" Eric paused by the doorway. "I found a girl on the beach, she has no home, no family, and, get this, she's the girl who rescued me three years ago after that terrible storm!"

"Eric," Cora said calmly. "You can't possibly-"

"Cora!" Eric beamed, sweeping open the door. "Meet Ariel!"

Ariel emerged into the room, biting her lip to keep from gasping aloud. _It is so beautiful in here._ She had changed into a sea green dress, an old one of Cora's, and had her hair all dried and brushed out. She smiled at Eric, and moved to sit down. Ariel sat across from Cora, smiling up at her in a loving way. Eric looked like he was floating. Cora looked like she was drowning.

"Whatever happened to you?" she asked, her voice soft and anxious.

"I was washed up from a shipwreck, you see. I've been milling about the kingdom." Ariel lied quickly. It was the best she had thought up while a woman (Carlotta?) was tending to her, and she hoped that if she spoke of it infrequently, yet quickly and with confidence, no one would examine her story too closely. She would tell Eric the truth eventually.

"What?" Eric seemed suddenly alarmed at the intensity of the tale. "Is that how you lost your family?"

Ariel took this prompting and ran with it. "Yes, you see, we were all headed back on a little schooner, when we struck a rock formation so out of place. I escaped the wreck and swam to the fateful rock, taking solace upon it. After the ship had sunk, I called out for survivors, but found there were none. By nightfall, I knew I had to get back to shore so I grabbed a chuck of floating hull and began paddling back. I saw that another ship, yours, namely, was sinking, and, well, I just couldn't let you drown." It was a lie, all a horrible lie, and Ariel felt all twisted up inside for telling it, but what was she supposed to do? Tell Eric she was a mermaid, when he had just met her - and even seemed to like her?

Ariel looked up at Cora. Even his sister seemed a little skeptical, but Ariel hoped she would not question her story or press the issue, and she didn't. Ariel breathed a sigh of relief, and was grateful for the girl's discretion. She would repay it, somehow.

...

Cora noticed Eric's distance that night as they were preparing for bed. He got in these haunted moods every once in a while, where he must've remembered or conjured up something upsetting. He'd pull away from her, brooding around the castle, and whenever she'd try to bring it up, he'd shake it off like a hard hit or sudden downpour. So, instead, she tried a gentler tactic. One that would still show she cared for him, and cared enough to adjust to meet his needs.

"You know, Eric, I don't think I spend enough time being grateful for what I have."

"Oh?" Eric slid into bed next to her, propping a pillow up on his left side.

"Truly." she confirmed, nodding, and pushing Eric's superfluous pillow away. "When I was a little girl, what I wanted more than anything is very similar to what I want now."

"Which is?"

"Love, Eric. The simplest of human desires, but one of the most important." she reached for his hand, and he squeezed hers back. "And I found it. And I'm so glad it was with you."

 **Review, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

There was no greater pain, Ariel was sure. It felt as if knives were prodding her entire body, and she felt only the faintest flashes of regret. She used the trident on herself as soon as she could, in her three prior years of experience, the pain would subside after about three days. And, just as soon as it was starting to ebb, here she was again. Here to see Eric, to have her shot at love, and at humanity.

The sun was beginning to set after dinner, and she excused herself nervously, knowing the potion would wane off within the hour. Both Eric and Cora had inquired after her, asking if she felt well, and if there was anything they could do. She insisted that no, no, she was fine! It's just that today had been an exciting day, and it's never easy to talk about all the stuff that had happened to her, and she'd just like to lie down and be left alone, and she'd see them in the morning. Ariel was afraid that she may have scurried off too fast, or been unconvincing, but they both trusted her lies completely, which made her feel very, very guilty.

And now she was pacing, wearing out the feet she had only borrowed. She couldn't keep using the trident on herself, she knew that. Not only did it hurt so much, but she couldn't disappear for three day breaks and then come back, especially when she had already made it so indisputably clear that she had neither home nor family to return to. And, boy, was it clear she needed that time to heal.

Her father had the ability to make it permanent, she knew that. Almost as well as she knew that he'd never do it. No matter what she said, or how she pleaded, he _hated_ humans, he _hated_ the human world, and he'd probably hate her for running away. Daddy would never do it.

This third, fateful option had wavered in and out of her head ever since she met Eric, and had stuck with an irritating permanence after she had been invited to stay as his guest. She had been warned against this option, just as every merchild had been. Still, she considered the Sea Witch.

Lessons had been pounded into her head, seasoned with what she could only assume were wildly exaggerated tales of wailing mermaids and pained children, swirling about in their own wretchedness as they bound themselves to the Sea Witch in her musky lair. Stories of how she fulfilled their hopes and promises for but a short stint of time, only to cruelly enjoy their pain as she yanked it away just as easily. Oh, Ariel had been warned.

But she also had no other options.

Luckily, she was rooming on the first floor, so sneaking out was as easy as sliding open the window. She ducked out and ran to the sea, her legs feeling like they were burning, and she relished in her final use of them as she collapsed in the water, and turned back into a mermaid.

…

Cora couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, she laid quietly as her husband snored peacefully, and she eventually rose and wrapped herself in robes, headed to the balcony.

Did she have a right to be nervous? Of course this was innocent, all Eric ever did was the Right Thing. Lost animals were given shelter and a meal. Foreign squabbles were squashed with kindness and diplomacy. Washed up girls were given their own room.

She didn't seem to have any sort of an agenda. She was comfortable through the meal, well, until she rushed off. She spoke politely and kindly, and didn't even flirt with Eric. She was merely kind to him.

But did he have to be so kind _back_?

Cora knew she was being ridiculous. She was in a tizzy, all over nothing! The girl would find a new home soon, somewhere, right? And then Eric and she could return to their normal lives.

Still, she couldn't shake the uneasiness that came with seeing how excited Eric was around Ariel. Cora had never seen him so lively, so childlike. He was absolutely endeared to her. He was never that engaged in conversation, never that animated during dinner, this simply wasn't him!

She must be overreacting, she was taking this as a snub when it of course wasn't.

She was happy to see him so happy, of course, but she just wished he was that happy with _her_.

…

Ariel was unsettled by how easily she was able to reach the Sea Witch's lair. For such a forbidden and foreboding place, it was rather accessible. She had never been before, but there were rumors as to where she laid, and Ariel was able to piece it together easily. She assumed that was part of the Sea Witch's lure. Thought such a tough decision to make, it was so easy as well.

She peaked in the doorway, pursing her lips.

"Come in, come in!" a raspy voice hummed.

Ariel took a deep, shuttering breath. This was worth it.

"Now, my darling, let me guess why you're here."

"How could you know?" Ariel asked quickly, pushing her brow together.

"You don't think they'd let me be the sea witch if I didn't know anything, did you?" she laughed at her own semi-joke and sat down next to Ariel.

"Um, I guess. Okay." Ariel sat bravely down, and looked before her at a swirling basin. It bubbled up and glowed green, and she reminded herself to keep her hands in her lap, lest she accidently touch it.

"Look," the Sea Witch flicked up her hand and a bubble appeared above the basin. It glowed a soft yellow, and Eric appeared on the screen, sleeping. "This is your prince, is it not?"

Ariel sighed. "Yes."

"And you want to be with him? As a human? On land?"

Ariel nodded again, vigorously. "Yes, oh yes."

The Sea Witch continued to flick her wrist, and different images appeared; fantasies. Ariel with legs, running down the beach. Ariel dancing about with Eric. Ariel and Eric on their wedding day. Ariel and Eric with children. With animals. Together on boats, at tables, at balls. A human life, and one with love.

"All this can be yours." The Sea Witch cooed. "I can help you."

"In exchange for what?" Ariel asked, still a little in disbelief.

"I will make you a potion." The Sea Witch began. "It will turn you into a human, temporarily. Seven days. You must win his love, by which I mean, he must ask for your hand in marriage. Whoever Eric rejects as his partner, will be reduced to sea foam, and doomed to float inconsequentially through the seas."

Ariel shook her head. "What does that mean?"

"It means, if he decides he does not want to marry you, you will no longer be a human, not a mermaid, you will simply dissolve."

Ariel stammered a little at this.

"Oh, and one more thing. This is, sadly, unavoidable. The potion is very difficult to make, and in order to keep you human for so long, it will not be easy. Your feet will hurt, like walking on knives, but you will be human, and with your prince."

Ariel paused, then spoke. "Will that go away when I break the spell?"

"Oh ho! Confident young merchild, aren't you?"

"I am not a child!"

Ursula spun around, glaring at Ariel. "This is a young being's pursuit, do not deceive yourself. If you can manage to sway his eternal love, manage to have him choose you, then, yes, all will be as you desire."

Ariel beamed at this, but Ursula continued. "But should you fail, your body will be seafoam, and your soul will be mine."

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	5. Chapter 5

Ariel awoke on day one, washed up on the beach like an amusing joke of a parallel. She laughed, stretched, and then laughed, for she had wiggled her toes so naturally that she had almost forgotten they were new to her.

"Ha-ha!" she sat up, beaming. Running her hands up and down her legs, she admired them. They were hers! Maybe for a week, but hers! And though the Sea Witch had spoken of pain, she felt none. A little bit of sand in her eyes, but nothing extraordinary.

She was in the same nightgown she had worn last night, and it was still damp and salty. She rolled to her hip and pushed herself up, crying out and falling to the ground as she realized what the Sea Witch truly meant. Bolts of lightning staggered through her legs, and the itchy bits of sand had turned to tiny daggers, prodding every inch of skin she walked on.

"Owwwww." She moaned, falling back onto the sand. She ran both her hands up her face and into her hair. She would have this pain for seven days.

So she'd better get used to it! She pushed herself up into a standing position, wobbling, wincing, and began to plod along, back to the castle. The back doors were locked, of course, so she had to go all the way back around and slip in through the window she had only just escaped from. She switched nightgowns and ran a brush through her hair, smiling a little at how it kept puffing back up. Her hair had only been fully dry three days– w ell, now four - in her life. It was a nice thing to have, even if she felt like her feet were about to burst.

She was too excited, too anxious, to actually go back to sleep, and settled instead for lying in bed and waiting until it seemed an appropriate time to be up and around the castle. The time was decided for her, around six 'o clock in the morning, when she heard a faint knocking at the door.

"Breakfast is being served in about half an hour, dearie." Ariel recognized the voice of Carlotta. "We'll set a place for you, but if you don't come, I'll bring you a tray about an hour after. Lord knows you need your sleep."

"No, no! I'm coming!" Ariel called through the door. "I'll just get dressed!"

"Alrighty, do you need help, love?"

"No, I'll see you soon!" Ariel smiled and rushed to her closet. It had been filled shortly after she had arrived, Eric's orders. Dozens of dresses, shifts, socks; she could live the rest of her life out of that closet alone! She pulled on a pink dress, and, to be honest, didn't remember the order of all the garments Carlotta had pulled over her yesterday, so she took her best guesses. _Maybe I should've asked for help._

She slipped on the heels, and her feet were affected just by the touch of the shoe alone. She winched, and knew she had to hide this, too. If Eric noticed her pain, he'd ask to the cause, which she couldn't share, or the remedy, which she hoped he'd figure out. Another secret, and she'd have to concoct another lie, but she knew the truth would be told. Eventually. When the time was right.

She tottered awkwardly out into the dining hall, pausing in the doorway and smiling.

"Ariel!" Eric exclaimed. "Good, I was hoping you'd join us."

Ariel walked to the table, trying her best to be graceful, and seem happy.

"Here, let me get that." Eric rose and grabbed her chair for her. Ariel felt instantly better once she was off her feet, and the pain subsided in ebbing ripples.

…

Eric didn't know why he felt a pang of relief when Ariel showed up, he never truly doubted that she wouldn't. Maybe he did. Who knows. But his relief was quickly overtaken by joy, he had been starved of her for three years, and he fully intended to drink her in and consume her. And the best way to do this, of course, would be to keep her in his sight; to spend time with her.

Which is why he proposed his idea so early on in breakfast, keeping it inside his head seemed almost like he was pushing her out again.

"Would you like to go to town?" he cleared his throat. Had his voice sounded weird? "I mean, I don't know if you've ever been around-around the kingdom, but it's very lovely and I'd like to show it to you, I mean, if you want to see."

"Yes, that'd be wonderful!" Ariel searched for the words she needed. "Can we take one of those, uh, with the horses –"

"A carriage?" Eric finished.

"Yes!"

"You've never been in one?" Cora asked.

"Not like the ones here!" Ariel exclaimed truthfully. There weren't a lot of seahorses on land.

"Well, then of course!" Eric smiled. He turned to his right. "Cora, which carriage would you like?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm coming."

"Oh?" Eric furrowed his brow.

Ariel felt a small pang of relief. His sister was a lovely woman, and very sweet to speak to, but if all she ever got in her life was seven days with Eric, she wanted to spend them alone.

"I have a lot of letters to write, and such. I've been putting them off and really need to do it."

"Oh, well if you're sure." Eric nodded. He turned back to Ariel, and smiled. "Well, breakfast is pretty much done. Would you like to go now?"

Ariel jumped a little getting up from her seat and Eric laughed at this. You'd think she had never seen a town before with her excitement. She reached out a hand to him and he took it, and the two ran out from the castle, to the carriages, and to town.

…

Cora went out to her gardens, took a shuttering breath, and leaned against a fruit tree. She wished she could be a fly on the wall, a bird in the air, a person with the ability to observe exactly what was going to happen on that carriage ride. She wasn't entirely sure, and that scared her.

He had spent, what, a day with that girl? Already he was attached to her in a way she had never seen! Glowing when she was there, stagnating when she was not. She was blowing it all out of proportion, she was sure, but, still! There was something there. Any fool could notice that.

Which is precisely why she had to send them out together. If she was sure of anything in Eric, it was that he was an honest man. Should he make any sort of…transgression, she knew he would tell her, and tell her immediately. And then she would know that the problem was not of her imagination. Should he come back and tell them of vendors they spoke to, and what they had for lunch, then she would know that this Ariel was no threat, and merely a lively girl who would stay with them for a few weeks, or, hopefully, less. If only she had a place to return to.

Cora thought for a second, of shelters and people who supported those searching for homes, but she quickly pushed these thoughts out of her mind. _Don't be cruel, Cora. She's a foundling, and you should show her kindness. She will not overstay her welcome._

Cora exhaled and slid down the tree. Marriage wasn't supposed to be like this! She had dreamed of love and marriage since she was but a child, and though her perceptions and ideas had changed as she had grown, there were constants, the most prevailing one being that she would always be _happy_.

And she was content with Eric, and she did love him. She could not say she was ever mistreated or forgotten, but it just wasn't…what she had in mind. It's not like they never had anything together, she was so deeply in love with him when he first came, renewed when she came to visit him a second time, and when she returned the third to marry him officially. Something had just changed, shifted, been lost.

So she would find it. Because the love she felt for Eric when he first looked into her eyes was so overwhelming, she forgot every other boy that had ever heard her. Because he came back to her after he left, and she appreciated him so much more. Because he was the only boy, save for Will, that had ever been in her garden.

She would fix this, for herself, for Eric, for her marriage.

…

Ariel threw her head back and laughed, a gorgeous peal, as she snapped the reins and the horses took off faster. Eric laughed as well, lest he should scream out, for she was going so fast and _dear_ _God_ , had she never driven horses before? But that didn't matter, because she was having a great deal of fun, and there was only, like, a 50% chance they'd get maimed.

But they eventually arrived in town, and, wow she somehow had drawn more energy in, from the sun and the chatter, and the very universe around them, because she was bursting with questions and exclamations, dragging Eric around because he just couldn't keep up.

She was infectious, and Eric tried his hardest to match her wit and energy, but settled for just interacting with it. It was so much better than doing without.

"Eric!" she exclaimed, picking up a wine opener. "I have so many of these! More than 20, uh, 24! I think. Flounder m-" she cut off there. "Look!"

"Oh, do you like wine? We've got a cellar in the castle that has some great stuff, maybe after dinner I can show it to you."

"What's wine?"

Eric laughed. "Why do you have so many corkscrews if you don't drink wine?"

"That doesn't make any sense." She stepped closer to him, almost touching, and Eric held his breath without realizing it. "Here." She twisted it up in his hair like a curler. "Perfect! You'll need like nine more."

The shop owner grumbled, but it was the prince, and his guest, so he said nothing. Eric shot the man an _I'm sorry, but don't spoil her fun look_ , and promised to buy the boxful.

…

"Your town is so gorgeous!" Ariel exclaimed, falling back into her seat.

Eric had the reins this time, so the ride was steadier and less thrill-seeking. "Thanks!" he smiled, looking over at her. "I'm pretty proud of it." He jerked his chin at the bag of purchases sitting in her lap. "Which one's your favorite?"

"Yes." Ariel giggled, hugging it closer. She then began rummaging through, pulling out the box of corkscrews, a pair of dancing shoes, a necklace with a pretty shell on it, a music box, a pair of earrings, a shawl, a bouquet of lavender and two books. "Oh, I can't choose. All of them. Thank you!"

She reached over and squeezed his forearm to thank him, and Eric slid his arm back just enough to grab her hand. Ariel made eye contact with him and smiled.

"Today's just been so wonderful." She cooed. "I don't want it to end."

"It doesn't have to." Eric thought quickly. "It's already past dinner, so we've got nothing to be on time for."

"Poseidon knows I've never been timely anyway." Ariel smirked, squeezing his hand.

Eric laughed, though he felt like she was withholding something. "I know the perfect place. But it's a surprise."

"Perfect!" Ariel exclaimed, leaning against his shoulder, as the horses trotted them to somewhere only Eric knew.

They arrived some 20-odd minutes later, to a mossy bank of a lake, surrounded by trees and shrubbery.

"Why, it looks like something out of a fairy tale!" Ariel pulled Eric out of the carriage, and he came about to her. She hopped down to the ground and winced, crying out softly.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, landed wrong. I'm fine." She insisted, and Eric nodded.

"Here, there's more."

"More?" Ariel smiled again, and for the first time all day, Eric got to lead her out.

There was a little rowboat docked on the side of the lake, oars placed inside. "Do you want to go out?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course!" Ariel slid gently into the boat, more tenderly than she had moved all day.

Eric pushed the boat out with her in it, then waded in a few steps in order to hop in himself. Grabbing the oars, he pulled them out of the shallows and around the waters.

"Thank you so much for today. It was….everything." she sighed dreamily.

Thanking me? "Thank _you_." Eric insisted, chuckling a little. "That was the most fun I've had in town. Ever."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't say it if it weren't true." Eric promised, pulling the oars in and letting them drift.

"I know." Ariel nodded solemnly, rolling her shoulders forward.

The stars were just beginning to peak out, as the sun had gone down only moments earlier. Eric could hear frogs and crickets all around them, as well as the water lapping at the shores they had only just left. Lightning bugs played among the leaves of the trees that hung over them, and Ariel was so close to him that he could smell the salt in her hair and the lavender he had bought her earlier that day. He could've kissed her, he would've kissed her, but he had a wife back home who had already dined without him that night.

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	6. Chapter 6

William was always taken off guard when people called him 'Will'. Cora had been the first person to do so, so it seemed only right she would be the only person. When he was doing his work around the castle, he would be called 'William' or 'Gardener'. Sometimes 'Gardener William', but that would be as fancy as it got. His mother called him 'darling', his father called him 'boy', and his baby sister would usually gurgle at him.

But, on a fine summer day, Macie Greenford handed over the spices he had bought and bid him goodbye with a "Have a lovely day, Will!", causing the boy to stop in his tracks and simply look at her, processing this otherwise extraordinary fact.

"Macie," he said, somehow both slowly and more quickly than he could think. "If I came back here, say, around seven, would you come on a walk with me?"

She beamed back at him. "That sounds lovely, Will!" Will.

Their walk was lovely, William brought her through the gardens he kept so expertly, and she admired his expert work. It became a regular meeting place for them; whenever Macie finished up at her father's shop early, she would head over and visit with him

The two became quite attached, and Will would be seen visiting Macie in the shop on his days off, and it was reciprocated with Macie coming to Will in the gardens. Eventually, Will plucked up some courage. Sitting in front of a cluster of raspberry blossoms, he pulled out a gold band and held it out to the girl, asking the infamous question.

He told her, three-odd years into their marriage, that that's what had initially drawn him to her, petty though it might be. That she was among the few that called him Will. She laughed at this, and said it was quite funny how they had named each other like pets, for she had always noticed how, out of the blue, he would sometimes call her Cora.

…

Eric always prided himself on being an excellent host. When guests came, whether they be friends, foreign visitors, diplomats, or people of any sort, he would do his best to entertain them and kept them in the level of comfort he himself had grown accustomed to. They would be fed, boarded, and kept under the best conditions the kingdom had to offer.

So it was almost natural to him when, at the next morning's breakfast he suggested that he and Ariel go sailing.

She perked up almost instantly, crying out "Oh yes, I've always wanted to go!"

Eric pushed his brow together. "Uh, weren't you shipwrecked?"

Ariel flushed red. "Well, yes, of course, but I never got to steer or do any of the work, and, um, I had assumed this would be a smaller boat for two," she glanced up at Cora. "or three people."

"Oh, sorry." Eric cleared his throat. "Would you still like to go?"

"Yes! Yes!" Ariel beamed, pushing aside the awkwardness. "After breakfast, please?"

 _Oof_! Cora thought. _Anything but sailing!_ The swaying of the ships made her sick, open water made her anxious, and the salt stuck to her like a rash. Cora had tried sailing, and swimming, and padding, and every water-related activity Eric loved so dearly, but each excursion left her miserable, sopping wet, and more adamant that she was not the seafaring type. She loved Eric, and would never dream of asking him to move to the more inland palace, or stop sailing, or do anything of the sort, but it was a part of his life she just couldn't share.

"Sounds great!" Eric smiled at Ariel, and turned to meet Cora's gaze.

"I think it'll be you two again!" Cora smiled shallowly.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, of course, you just know sailing isn't my thing."

Eric nodded. "Yeah, of course. Sorry, that just slipped my mind. We'll be back by lunch, tea at the latest. Depends on how Ariel takes to the water." He smiled back over at her.

Ariel rested her chin on her folded hands. "While I of course wouldn't know, I've always considered myself a woman of the sea."

…

Cora didn't know the fate of Will. They were good friends, yes, and they had continued to correspond once she had reached the palace, but, as often happens to friendships, the letters came fewer and farther in between. She'd get caught up in the demands of running a country, and he'd get caught up in his private life. The letters became sparser, only briefly outlining passed months in a compact page. She wasn't sure who didn't reply, whether it was intentional at the time or merely an oversight, but either way, they stopped responding to each other.

And though her father never found issue with the friendship, he did not keep Will close enough in order to think to inform Cora of what happened to him. The boy married, and kept is job with a small boost in income, as a favor to him and his family, as he had served them so well, so long.

With this boost and the almost expected next steps of marriage, Will and Macie had a child, a beautiful baby girl. With a tongue in cheek jab, Macie suggested naming the daughter Cora. Will gave a hearty laugh, but agreed wholeheartedly.

He protected his daughter with the intensity of a loving father who saw flowers beginning to grow inside his child. Will was with her always, bringing her to work when she requested, taking her and Macie to the beach on weekends, and reading to her every night before bedtime. His daughter was the light of his life, and that's why he did everything, everything, to protect her.

Everything, in the case of a warm May morning, happened to mean saving her life. She had pleaded for, insisted on going to the beach, and when Macie joined in, who was he to say no? The trio strolled on down with a picnic lunch and their heavy winter clothes, because even with budding spring weather, ocean winds can chill one through the bone.

There was a decrepit old pier that laid abandoned, and like her mother, Macie was determined to explore and conquer it. It was large, and extended perhaps 100 feet out, bobbing up and down with the choppy tide. She sprinted out, ignoring the creaks and cracks of the rotting wood, until she stepped too hard on a plank too worn, and fell through into the frigid waters. Both Macie and Will were on their feet in only seconds.

"Grab the rope off the raft, bring it up to where she fell through!" Will yelled, pounding down the pier with more force than his small daughter.

He leapt off the side of the pier, a little to the left of the hole, and swam down, saltwater stinging his eyes. Will was able to grab his daughter and kick the top, pushing her up onto the pier. She coughed softly, and he grabbed onto the boards of the pier to push himself up. He laid the top of his chest on the pier, waving at his wife, who was running towards him.

"I got Cora!-" he yelled, before the rotten wood of the pier collapsed and he fell into the water, smacking himself up on the way down. His head was swimming, but he was not.

He didn't hear his wife scream, or her frantic footsteps, as she too sprinted down the awful pier. She pulled her daughter down a few feet, noticing her breathing before flinging herself into the water and diving down the best she could in order to find her husband. But it was no avail. After a short moment, she was forced to return to the surface. She gently, gently pushed herself up onto the pier and took little Cora into her arms, crying and crying, for her daughter, for her husband, for that fateful afternoon.

Macie and Cora never returned to that beach, though, eventually, Macie was willing to let her daughter return to the ocean. Macie could only tell the child of her father, a brave, steadfast man who now guarded them from above, who appeared on the earth as the sea foam that washed ashore, mingling constantly with the other souls lost at sea, and hoping to feel the touch of his loved ones once again.

…

"I love it!" Ariel exclaimed happily, hooking her arm around Eric's and gazing at the sailboat.

"It's nothing, really." Eric laughed. "The smallest one we have, in fact."

"It's perfect!" Ariel tugged him towards it, and the two boarded the vessel. "Where are we going?"

"Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?"

"Anywhere!" Ariel beamed, weaving her hands through the many ropes, and stroking the sails.

"Then why don't we just head west, and see if there's anything cool?"

"Sounds great. What do I do?"

"Ah, here." Eric handed Ariel the rope that connect to the jib. "Keep your weight on the left side of the boat, and when I tell you to move, yank the rope up, and bring it over to the right."

"Aye-aye cap'n!" Ariel hung onto the rope and exhaled, wiggling her feet out of her shoes. It helped, but not much.

After a few minutes of finagling, the two were off, the ocean stretching out before them and the sun shining out in front of them. Ariel relaxed her grip and the rope and inhaled. Salt. Sea. Things she remembered, and knew so well.

"You ready?" Eric called up.

"Yep!" Ariel chipped, kneeling down and clutching the rope.

"Now!"

Ariel slid to the right and tugged the rope into its new position, reveling in how it actually worked. She had never seen a functioning boat, at least, not until Eric's floundering one. The wind flew through her hair and salt sprayed in her face. She let go of the rope and slid over to the side, sticking her feet in the water, exhaling with pleasure as she noticed the pain in her feet was almost completely soothed.

The sailed out, farther and farther into the open sea, and Eric and Ariel laughed as they sat next to each other, pointing out clouds and schools of fish, and Ariel reveling in the feel of the sun on her skin.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as the hit a particularly choppy wave, and both she and Eric tumbled a little to the side. She slipped off the boat a little, but Eric pulled her back and kept his arm around her waist.

"Careful there!" he exclaimed, laughing out of relief. "We don't want you plunging in again."

"Yeah, I'm not too sure I'd do so well under the sea." She gave a mysterious half-smile, and Eric, again, was stuck by the sensation that she wasn't divulging everything.

"But you're doing amazingly up here." Eric said, feeling proud of her. "I would've expected you to at least be a little scared, but you've taken to sailing wonderfully, and I don't think I've seen you without your feet in the water."

"It's beautiful out here, and feels wonderful!" Ariel leaned against him and sighed. "Today's been wonderful." She cooed. "Yesterday too. I wish we could do this forever." She laid back, feet still in the water. "I do feel bad for your sister though. She's really missing out."

"My sister?" Eric asked tying off a rope and coming to sit next to her.

"Yes. Cora? She eats with us."

Eric laughed, a bit of twang to it. "That's not my sister."

"Oh?"

"That's my wife."

"Oh!" Ariel felt panic flash through her. He's married! There's no way he can break the spell now! All was lost, she was as good as sea foam. She bit her lip and looked up at him. "How long have you loved her?"

Eric hesitated, biting his lip. "I know this is going to sound horrible, because it is, but I'm still waiting to. We've been married for a few years now, and I am fond of her, but I've never felt love for her."

"Then why did you marry her?" Ariel asked softly, leaning in towards him.

"I really can't explain." Eric said truthfully. "For I don't fully know myself. It seemed right, at the time, I guess. It sounded right, at least."

Ariel paused for a second, then burst out the question she wanted to ask, regardless of its forwardness. "Do you regret it?"

"It's almost lunchtime." Eric eventually said. "We should probably work our way in.

…

Cora wandered through her gardens, and saw both her husband and his guest coming in off the pier. They were very reserved towards each other, she saw Eric say something to Ariel, she responded, and the conversation ended there. They walked maybe twenty feet away, then Ariel said something back to Ariel, and he responded. It continued in that fashion as they strolled back to the palace.

Something had to be done. They had come together so quickly; Eric was drawn to her like he was in a riptide. Though she never could doubt his faithfulness or honesty, she still feared for her marriage, that Ariel might pull them just far apart where they'd be unable to snap back together.

Something had to be done, but what? What could work, without making her seem like an insecure ninny, scolding her husband for trying to make a new friend? She needed to think more than she needed to do anything else, so she decided to skip lunch in favor of walking around the gardens.

No ideas yet, but she would think of something. She had to.

…

After lunch, after dinner, after the trio had disbanded and went off to bed in Eric's case and the gardens in Cora's, Ariel went out to a balcony and leaded against the banister, taking some pressure off her feet and _thinking_.

Eric was married! He already had a wife, and though he was so removed from her she hadn't even been able to pick up on their relationship, he was still married.

Her mind drifted to her own perilous situation. Were she to fail to earn Eric's heart, and his proposal, Ariel would be resigning herself to the fate of death. An existence only of sea foam, and she hardly knew if that was a life at all. But to do so at the expense of a marriage, and of Eric's marriage, was a decision that strained her dearly. She didn't want to be sea foam, she didn't want to give herself up, or her dreams of humanity, but she couldn't hurt Eric.

This decision would even be easier if he seemed to love her like a husband should. He said so himself, that he didn't love her, and though he didn't answer if he regretted marrying her, the answer did rather present itself.

If all the love in a marriage came from one side, was it still a relationship? If Eric wanted to disregard his wife, was it wrong to still pursue him? Most importantly, could Ariel exist in a universe where the answers to these questions was 'yes'?

…

That night, Eric felt his guts wrenching, pulled in two different directions by two leading courses of thought. He laid in bed, next to his wife, his _wife_ , his **_wife_** , an arm thrown over his eyes. His mind was running a million miles a minute, and he was not confident in his ability to slow it down.

He was married to Cora, promised to her, and had been with her for three years of his life. He was sure that she loved him, and even though he didn't reciprocate, how could he justify hurting a woman who had never laid a finger nor an unkind word to him?

But Ariel was everything he had been looking for. She was built up of sunshine and sea foam, and filled in all the parts of his life that he loved and that he craved. He rolled over and grunted into his pillow out of frustration. He couldn't let his mind direct this whole thing, as he already knew what was technically right. He had to listen to his heart, and that might lead him down a path that could cause trouble.

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	7. Chapter 7

Ariel awoke dreamily, swaddled in fluffy white comforters and sheets so clean the smell of salt and cotton still drifted off them. Her legs were spread like a starfish and wrapped around blankets. She sighed and rolled to her hip to look out the window. The sun was only just rising, and the sky swirled in pinks and oranges, hues reminiscent of coral fields she had left behind just days ago.

It was her third day as a human, and she could only think of how incredibly lovely it'd be able to wake up like this every day. To be in this lovely home, to be by the man she loved, to be wrapped in constant reminders that she was human, a human being! She stretched her arms up, and leaned forward to grab her toes. Ten, perfect little toes.

She sighed as she rolled out of bed to meet the day, still thinking of the events that transpired yesterday.

Maybe it would've been better if she had never come, because then she wouldn't have come so far only to lose everything! She was so sure he liked her, too. He was attentive and kind, and seemed as if he was truly enjoying their talks, their adventures, and their times together. Eric always seemed just-near kissing her, just on the cusp of a confession, and she had chalked it up to his charming shyness, but now it was apparent that there was another barrier between them. One named Cora, with light brown eyes always watching them, and slender shoulders that took the painful bearing of her husband's temptation.

Ariel never would have knowingly put herself in the position of 'the other woman'. She had no interest in being anything but Eric's one and only. Had she known before of Eric's…commitment, she would've still been under the sea, hugging her fins to her chest and tending to her broken heart. But she had traded any alternatives for these seven days, and this was the fate she was given. Did the Sea Witch know this would happen?

But, what's bad, was that she still loved Eric. And letting him go, bowing out gracefully, though it seemed like the morally correct thing to do, what the very last option she wanted to consider. What was worse, she wasn't convinced that Eric didn't love her. She had never, not once during her stay, felt like she was straining a loving relationship or trying a marriage. And, maybe, that's because she wasn't.

It was confirmed almost outright to her as well, with Eric's confession that not only did he not love Cora, but that he never had. Should she continue to pursue Eric, she would be ruining a formal marriage, but ruining one that seemed only to barely exist outside of legal documentation. Whether or not that made her actions acceptable, she was unsure. All she knew was that she loved Eric, and that maybe, just maybe, he loved her too.

She needed to think, she needed to be sure. Ariel didn't want to give up, but so much was at stake here, for her, for Eric, for Cora, that she couldn't just take this on a whim. She laughed a little to herself. This was one of the few things she had truly thought through in a while.

Rolling out of bed, Ariel tossed a dressing gown over her night shift, and plodded down to the beach. The castle door slammed behind her, and Ariel just hoped it hadn't locked.

…

Eric had wanted to kiss her. Oh, the opportunity presented itself so many times! They were together, out to sea, both as happy as could be. Ariel was so full of life, laughing, chatting, and dragging her feet along in the water. He felt so at ease around her, never like he was going to say the wrong thing, or hurt her. He didn't feel tense or uneasy, and whether that was predominantly due to the sea or to the girl beside him, he didn't know, but would give thankful credit to both.

But he was still married to Cora. Even if he liked Ariel, or found her enchanting, beautiful, and all around wonderful. Even if he would catch himself thinking of a future with her, a family with her, a life of adventures with her. No matter what he wanted from Ariel, with Ariel, he was still married.

Why wasn't that enough to make him want to stop?

He was better than this, more moral than this! He never thought he'd be the type of man to consider cheating on his wife! But, then again, he also always considered himself the type of man who would marry only for love.

He considered himself at a moral impasse, between taking the clichéd advice to follow his own heart, or to do what most others would consider morally correct. Eric never really knew if your morals came from your head, your heart, or what was taught to you, but every fact and belief he had taken as standardly correct was being mixed up in a storm and tossed about inside him.

Though he knew what he wanted to do probably wasn't best, he didn't want to stop, and didn't want to consider alternatives or midpoints. He didn't want Ariel as a friend, or even as a mistress. Eric didn't want to give out bits and pieces of himself between the woman he loved and to his wife, hoping that they would balance and work out. He had the mystery girl, the girl of his dreams, and even if she had shown up three years later than what he wanted, she was here now, and every bit as wonderful as he had cooked up inside his head. To ignore her, to pretend he hadn't spent all that time search for her, to try and discourage the feelings inside him, seemed almost cowardly, and definitely seemed dissatisfying.

Eric rolled out of bed, only slightly disturbing his wife beside him, and walked around the castle, trying to find some happy medium between what, who, he wanted more than anything and what he was taught to be right. More now than ever before, he was doubting that it existed. At some point, it seemed, he would have to choose, between his honor, and his heart.

He overlooked the grand ballroom, and paused when he heard the pidder-patter of feet. Peering over the edge of a banister, he saw Ariel was awake too, and headed outside. She hadn't noticed him, and had draped the train of her dressing gown over her arm, revealing her bare feet and legs as she tried her best to slip out undetected.

 _Thump_! The door slammed behind her, and Eric did not even hesitate for a moment as he followed after her, fixing his hair and trying to not wake anyone else in the castle.

…

"Mmmm…Eric?" Cora awoke groggily, rolling over and feeling for her husband. His covers were thrown back, and he was gone. "Eric?" she called out a little louder, siting up.

The perpetual feeling of unease that had been striking her these past three days magnified in the next moments, and she dressed quickly and went in search of him. Something wasn't right, something wasn't right. She pattered around the castle, but he was in none of his usual places. Eventually, she realized that the beach would be the only last place for him. Of course, why hadn't she looked there first?

Cora moved, always, slowly and with grace, and she slipped out of the castle without drawing anyone's attention. She went out a side doorway that moved through her gardens, and she took calming breaths as she ran her fingers across the flowers, trying to calm herself down. _It's probably nothing._

The tried to settle herself, discourage any nerves. There was no point in getting herself all riled up over a walk. What would Eric think if he came back, alone, and found her here spying on him? She'd seem to be an absolute loon! He was her husband, he hadn't ever strayed, and she had to trust him. No matter what feelings knotted up her stomach, no matter what signals she may have picked up on, she had to trust that he would stay as faithful to her as he was the day he chose to marry her.

Still, despite this running stream of reassurance she gave herself, Cora couldn't bring herself to go inside and go back to bed. She still felt uneasy, no matter what she said to herself, no matter what hopes she tried to focus on. So, she moved to the edge of her gardens and peered out.

The gardens were set high up, and she was able to get a good vantage point, with a view of most all of the beach. She put a hand over her eyes to shield the morning rays of the sun, and looked for her straying husband.

…

Ariel had walked into the ocean, her shift and dressing gown drawing up water and swirling about her knees. She would dip down to pull a shell out of the water or skim her fingers along the surface of the water.

"Couldn't sleep?" Eric folded his hands in front of him, standing at the edge of the shore.

She turned around quickly, blue eyes flying open, and her bright red hair landing over her shoulder. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I didn't see you there."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Eric smiled up at her, taking a little step back to give her space.

"It's fine, you didn't. Yeah, I was up early this morning, just couldn't get back to sleep, I guess." Ariel smiled a little, and then waded out of the water to meet him, dragging back sea foam with her hem.

"Same. Up late thinking, up early thinking. Not really sure if I slept." Eric shrugged a little, trying to make light of it, though he wasn't really kidding.

Ariel giggled a little, and stepped closer to him. "I wonder if it was about the same thing?"

"I'd like to hope that it was, and that means it's just as important to each of us."

"Well, reached any conclusions yet?" Ariel asked, a little anxious.

Eric closed any and all of the remaining space between them, and rested a hand on the niche in her waist, damp with saltwater "Let me kiss you." He said softly, his voice pure and light.

Ariel gasped a little, freezing as he leaned in closer to her. Their foreheads touched and the pair rested there for just a second, their eyes closing slowly.

Eric mumbled, his voice hoarse and almost pained. " _Please_."

Ariel tilted up her chin and met his lips, her whole body seeming to melt and re-form against his. She slid her hand slowly up into his hair and tried her best to keep herself from smiling. She failed.

She pulled away quickly, her eyes flashed up at him. Eric's eyes were still closed as he breathed heavily, but he slowly, eventually met her gaze. She mumbled quickly "I'm sorry. Are you sure you-"

Eric leaned forward and kissed her again, more intensely, more passionately, resting his hands low on her waist, then removing them only to come up and cup her chin. She reciprocated his kiss, his passion, feeling the unbounded joy that comes too infrequently in life when one little moment is absolutely perfect.

…

Cora couldn't choke back a wail, as she staggered back and clamped a hand over her mouth. She ran as if she was being chased, and flung herself into a nearby bed of light blue pansies. She buried her face into her skirts and let her grief overcome her; there was no point in fighting it back anymore.

She had been right! She laughed without humor, sinking back, as tears continued to run down her face. Ariel was more than a guest, more than a foundling, she was an invasion into her home and a threat to her marriage, if she hadn't already ruined it. What was worse, Ariel had not only kissed him, Eric had kissed her. There was no room left for denial, explanations, or excuses. They were in love.

They were in love when they took each other to sea, they were in love when they stayed up late speaking of things she understood only shallowly; tides and shells, winds and rains, the joy of being a part of a body of a water that could consume you at any time. They walked together, talked together, they adventured with a passion Cora had never even had a chance to experience before it was taken from her. She was Eric's wife, and that should've been _her_! She should've been his first choice, his only choice, she should've been the source of his joy and excitement. He should not have come alive when he met Ariel, because Cora should've been enough to sustain him.

This couldn't be the end, Cora shouldn't have to give in, give up this _easily_. This couldn't be the problem that would end their marriage. It had to be no more than a bump in the road, a crest in a wave; their affair would crash down when Eric realized that Cora was the one for him. She just had to hold him. Only a while longer. She had thought of something that would drive Ariel out and bring Eric closer. And it would be done.

Cora cried as she fell back into the flowers, dark hair splayed out like she had just been pushed down to the ground. The sobs came with varying intensity as she truly began to process everything she had been deprived of. Most painfully, she remembered that Eric didn't even kiss her last night before they went to sleep.

…

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	8. Chapter 8

Eric awoke the next morning, Ariel's fourth day, stirring on the plush library couch. He shifted his weight, and noticed that he had a guest. Ariel let out a light snore, shifting to curl up closer to him. He sighed happily and draped an arm around her, closing his eyes to go back to sleep, then processed exactly what he was doing – or, more specifically, who with – and awoke with a start.

His sudden movement stirred Ariel as well, and she groggily slid up into a sitting position. "Mmm.." she hummed. "Good morning."

"Afternoon is probably closer." Eric laughed letting his head flop back. "It's almost one."

"Well, were both up late thinking, again." Ariel giggled.

Eric smiled down at her. "Up early, too."

"We're very busy people, we can't possibly keep to a normal sleep schedule." Ariel continued.

"Very busy." Eric thought through the rest of yesterday. They had kissed, and walked along the beach, and kissed, and gone swimming, and kissed, and built up a fire on the beach, and laid by it and kissed, and eventually retreated into the library, where he read to Ariel until she dozed off. He then kissed her forehead and promptly fell asleep himself.

Ariel was fidgeting, playing with her fingers and balling up more by drawing her legs beneath herself. It was clear something was on her mind. Eric looked down at her, trying to silently prompt her without being pushy.

Ariel exhaled, then flicked her eyes up meet his. "Do you regret, well, kissing me?" Ariel asked honestly.

Eric had thought about this when they strolled the beach later this morning. He didn't like that he cheated on his wife. He didn't like kissing or romancing Ariel when he had currently nothing else to offer her. "No." he said firmly. "I don't regret it. I don't think I could."

Ariel smiled up at him and rewarded him with, yet another, kiss. "I feel the same way." She settled. "But you are still married."

"I know." Eric sat up straighter, but did not untangle himself from the former mermaid. "I don't regret kissing you. I'll maintain that. But I'm not proud of myself for doing it while I'm married, even if it's only a marriage in the legal sense." He laughed without humor. "Oh, I feel stupid. I wish I had found you sooner. I wish I had waited longer, I always knew that you were the girl I was looking for! I wish I hadn't let myself get talked into writing letters and making proposals. I wish I had held out for love, and I wish I had more to offer you."

Ariel fidgeted a little. "What are you going to do?"

"Ariel, I don't know. I want you, and I don't want to keep you to the side like a mistress or a friend. I want you as my wife, and I want you as mine, forever." He turned to face her more. "Do…you want the same?"

"Yes, of course!" she burst out. It was a break of easy truth, and it felt wonderful to say it.

Eric swept her up closer, pulling the girl onto his lap. "God, it feels wonderful to hear you say that." He kissed her jawline, and continued. "And, if I were unmarried, we'd be married. Properly and extravagantly, on the biggest wedding ship you ever saw!"

"With a three tier cake!"

"And all of our friends would come out with us."

Ariel laughed. "Max could be ring bearer!"

"We'd tie the rings to his collar!"

"And Scuttle could be the flower seagull!"

"Wherever did you meet a seagull?"

 _Oops! Watch your tongue, Ariel!_ "Oh, you know, the same way you meet any animal. Just….around." She shrugged, as if it was common.

"Then Scuttle the flower seagull it is!" Eric laughed and slid her as close as she should be, so she was splayed across his chest. "And there'd be sea stars and shells decorating everything."

"And my dress would be as fluffy as sea foam."

"We'd have a beautiful wedding."

Ariel sighed at this, and braced herself on his chest with her forearms. "But…you're already married."

Eric sighed, their lovely thought having ended. "I don't think I can hurt her, Ariel. She's the perfect wife, just not _my_ perfect wife."

Ariel slid off his lap and back to his side. Eric yearned to pull her back and promise her anything to make her stay, but he knew it wasn't right. He didn't want to hurt either Ariel or Cora, and, somehow, he was wounding both.

"Oh Eric, there you are!" Cora swayed in the doorframe, gathering herself in her arms. "I will say, it was strange when you didn't come to bed last night! I called for you but figured you were," her eyes flicked over to Ariel. "out".

Eric felt his throat go dry. Speaking ill of his marriage, disregarding his vows, were much easier when his wife was not standing in front of him. He didn't want to lie to her, but he found no joy in telling the truth. "Yes, I was. With Ariel." There, no details, but no lies.

"Ah, well." Cora rocked forward, pressing a hand against his chest and capturing him in a kiss. "I hope to see you at lunch, regardless."

Eric was overwhelmed suddenly, not so much for the events that transpired, but for the fact that he felt the need to turn and apologize, to Ariel.

…

Lunch was still, and awkward, and ungraced. Cora tried everything in her power to reverse this, being lively with conversation, asking each present party specific questions, and offering out plenty of food. She inquired as to Ariel's family, then dropped it, her interests, and was met with a polite, though short response, and asked of her health as her last-ditch effort. Cora then turned to Eric and asked of the sea, nodding and legitimately trying to understand everything he said. But, he too, seemed uncomfortable with the idea of speaking to her, even if it was on something he loved.

For the first time since Ariel's arrival, she thought ill of them both. Cowards. Keeping their secrets to themselves.

Cora felt heat building inside the room, pressing against her. Thumping and thumping like a stick to a drum. Her bodice was too tight. Her hair was pulled back too hard. She could feel the weight of her earrings and of the stone on her left hand.

Eric eventually broke the silence, seeming unable to take it any longer. "What are we going to do today?"

"Or next week or next month or for the rest of our years!" Cora exclaimed, stabbing a pear on her plate. "That is the question, isn't it, Eric?"

"Are…you okay?" Eric asked softly, sincerely.

 _No! Of course not! You know what happened, you know what you did! Worse, as do I!_ "No." Cora said curtly. "I'm going to lie down. You two," she stood up, and flicked the napkin down onto her seat. "go do whatever you want."

She walked out of the dining hall and the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her.

"I don't think she meant that." Ariel whispered.

Eric nodded. "I don't know how to fix this." Eric admitted. "So I think we should pretend that she did."

…

"Is this cowardly?" Eric asked Ariel as they were walking out to the carriage.

"I've been thinking on that." Ariel nodded.

"And?"

"I don't think so. Not cowardly, just…confusing. Confused. Jumbled up and inconvenient for everyone. Because none of us are getting what we want."

"Elaborate."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, but here I go. What _I_ want is to be a part of your world. I want everything you've shown me, in spades. I love the dancing and downtowns, and all the adventures to be had. And, most importantly, I want them all shared with you." She took his hand on this.

"I'm glad to hear it." Eric murmured.

"You want the kind of marriage you always assured yourself you were going to have. One, most notably, with love. And although Cora is really a sweet lady, she really, really is, you don't love her. You like her, but you don't love her, and a good marriage needs both. But it makes it a lot harder, because it's not like she's an evil, looming villain trying to zap you with her wand, it's not like she's hurt you or cursed you, so you can't justify hurting her. Especially since you know that she loves you, and you leaving her would hurt her. A lot."

"I know." Eric sighed. "This is where things get tangled up the most. She's just so…perfect. She has that sort of demure elegance that royal wives are supposed to have, and I respect that about her, and I like her as a person. If this was some sort of different universe where I had found you the day after you saved me."

Ariel sighed. "Or if I hadn't left at all."

"Then it would be perfect, because you and I could be together," Eric threaded his hand through Ariel's. "and Cora and us could be grand friends."

"But that didn't happen." Ariel reminded him. "And all our feeling are exactly where they should be, and our hearts are synced up with what they want, but we have other factors tangling everything up and ruining it for the lot of us."

The two boarded the carriage, and Eric took the reins, thinking a steady ride would create a better dynamic for conversation than a ride of Ariel's direction and velocity.

"And, that also brings us to what Cora wants." Ariel continued. "She had me confused for a bit, first off because I thought she was your sister, then because I thought she wanted you, period."

"You mean she doesn't?" Eric said with a hopefulness staining his voice that should normally never come when a man thinks his wife doesn't love him.

"She wants love. To be loved. Period." Ariel nodded, having put a lot of time and thought into her analysis.

"Which I cannot provide her." Eric said, grimly.

Ariel smiled up at him, shedding some optimism. "But someone else could."

…

The two got tired of riding around the carriage, as, with all serious conversations, one eventually reaches a point where the topic cannot be productively discussed any longer. So they rode off unbeaten paths back into town, where Eric eventually spotted a group of people dancing.

"Would you like to go?"

"Sure!" Ariel piped up, regretting her statement as soon as her feet hit the ground. Bolts of pain shot through her legs at lightning speed, and she let out a small cry before she could muffle herself. Eric came about the carriage and took her hand, leading her out into the dancing.

Walking was bad, running was worse, but Ariel could say with definitive knowledge that dancing was the worst. There was no time to grow numb to the pain, as your feet would be lifted off for a second, and then smack in a hard step or scuff. It felt as if she was moving on knives.

Eric began to steer her around the dancing couples, and Ariel focused on keeping her breathing steady and eyes down. She tried to focus on something else, though her choice of thought was not more soothing than the painful dancing.

 _Oh, how could this hurt so much? Eric never would've brought me here if he knew how I felt, but, maybe that's just it. He doesn't know. Maybe I should tell Eric the whole story. That would make one thing simpler, if we were at least fully honest with each other. This situation is certainly complicated enough, and much more difficult than I had thought it would be. Trying to move forward with him without working to clear up my past, well, that won't work, will it?_

Eric lifted her up and spun her around, which gave her a brief respite from the pain.

She smiled, elated, and cried "Again, again!"

He lifted her again, and she laughed, exhaling with ease.

When Eric plopped her back on the ground, she was shoved cruelly back into reality.

 _I know he loves me, I know he does! But I also know that he loves me as a human, a foundling. What if he doesn't believe me? What if he doesn't see me the same when I tell him I was a mermaid. That, no matter what, it'll still be a part of me? Then I'd have to spend my last three days watching him from afar, seeing him pull away from me the same way he's pulling away from Cora. Are we the same woman, at different parts of the arc? Did Eric ever treat her like this?_

The music picked up in speed and Eric pulled her tighter and moved more quickly into a reel.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned, as he saw how she winced periodically.

"Fine!" Ariel lied, again.

 _It comes down to whether or not I trust him, and trust that he loves me. If he loves me, in the true love sort of way I think he does, then it won't matter. It won't! He'll still love me, in the way he was never able to love Cora. Or, anyone else, I guess._

The music kept speeding up, and Eric spun to match it. Ariel felt like her feet were going to split in half and explode off, sending her half-won legs back into the sea and leaving her to drop to the ground. She glanced up at Eric, who was smiling softly down at her. He moved so easily, and she struggled only to match him.

 _This façade is too much to keep up, he has to know sometime. And, if I want assurance, he has to know. Moreover, I want him to. He's done everything for me that he could, and I want him to know all of me. And, now, that includes my past. And how we truly met._

He spun her, and spun her, and as he shifted his hands to lift her, her feet finally buckled and she collapsed, crying out, at last.

"Ariel!" Eric was at her side, on his knees, in an instant.

The townspeople glanced over, finally noticing exactly who was with them – and who he hadn't brought. They whispered, and gathered, as Eric helped Ariel to her feet and scooped her up, carrying her back to the carriage.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worried. "Are you hurt?"

"Not really." Ariel said, truthfully, looking around at the people, and receiving a profound assurance she wouldn't be able to place until years afterwards. "My feet gave out, but I'm fine."

"We should go back to the castle."

"Not yet." She laid a hand on his arm. "I have something to tell you about. Can we go to the offshoot?"

...

 **Important questions that aren't important – should I make a tumblr to put all my fanfics on? Would it make it easier for you guys, do you think more people would read em, etc?**

 **Anyway, like always, please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

As the sun of the fourth day began to set, Eric took Ariel out in the same rowboat he had taken her out on before, with a much more somber air around them.

"You seem nervous?" Eric asked, nervously.

"Anxious." Ariel corrected. "I'm excited-scared, not fearful-scared."

"Well I supposed that's good. So, what did you need to talk about?" Eric pulled the oars in and let them drift.

"The big stuff." Ariel said vaguely. "I wanna be honest with you, always."

"Me too."

"Before, I was different. I only wanted to be honest as much as possible."

"Ariel, did something happen?"

"Kind of. Something that brought me here."

"You wanna talk about your shipwreck?" Eric was more confused now than at the start of the conversation!

"I'm going to share with you the absolute, honest, no frills truth, okay?"

"Okay."

"And I need you to take it as that, because this is serious, and important to me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Eric, I didn't tell you the truth when we first met."

"But I know that you're the girl who rescued me! I'm sure."

"It's not that." Ariel held up her hands, silencing him. "I did rescue you - that much is true. But I wasn't shipwrecked. I made up that story, because I didn't know if you'd believe the truth."

"Is your family, really….dead?" Eric asked softly.

Oh. That lie hit her harder now. She had lied about the lives of her family, and killed them off to further her dreams. That…wasn't right. "Not all of them. I'm sorry I said that part, sorry to you, and to them. My mother did die, when I was very young, but I have six sisters, and a father that you might've heard of."

"Oh?"

"He's the stuff of legends. King Triton."

Eric laughed at this. "The _Sea King_?"

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Ariel huffed, folding her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eric apologized, stifling back another snicker. "It's just that, he's the ruler of the _merpeople_ , and you started this whole conversation out so somber, and-" he cut off, as he saw that Ariel had not broken out into giggles, or given any indication that _of course she was kidding, there was no way she was a mermaid_! In fact, she was sitting there, still looking cross, but most definitely looking like she wasn't kidding. "You don't mean to say…"

"I'm a mermaid. Was, anyway. I –I saw your ship, when I was in my grotto. You blocked out the light, and I had been dreaming of human things and shipwrecks all day – all my life! – I couldn't just ignore you. So I swam up, and I saw you with Grimsby, and I saw you dancing, and I knew that very moment that I had to be a part of your world."

"Wow." Eric huffed, falling back. "Then, what happened to your tail? Granted, your skirts are pretty long, but I'm confident you still don't have it."

Ariel giggled, a little out of humor, a little out of relief. He believed her! "That's where the issues come about. I could use my father's trident to turn myself human, but I'm only 16, and I'm not a queen. I don't have the power to make it permanent, or even painless. The spell would last until day's end, which is why I had to shoo you away so soon after we reunited."

"Yeah, I did find that odd, but you were insistent."

"Well, I wasn't ready to tell you then." Ariel shrugged, then continued. "When you invited me back to the castle, I couldn't say no. Not to an opportunity like that! Especially when I had waited three years for the very chance. So that night, when the spell faded, I snuck back out into the ocean, and got my legs from the Sea Witch."

"Oh no, what's the catch?" Eric sat fully back up, grabbing Ariel's hands.

"She's a bitter, cruel woman, I know. She manipulates people for fun, they don't even have to necessarily bring her benefit. If she can watch them fall, that's enough for her. And that's what she's trying to do with me, I know it. I get my legs for seven days, and they hurt, Eric, they hurt a lot. Like knives are prodding me feet whenever I step."

"Oh my God, Ariel." Eric scooted closer to her and embraced the girl. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, I didn't tell you."

"How do you beat her? How can we break the spell?"

Ariel swallowed. "If I win your love."

"You have it! All of it."

"You have to choose me. Marry me."

Eric exhaled on this one. "And you only have three days left? There's no other way?"

"No." Ariel dipped her head, as she noticed that Eric began to row back to shore.

"I almost don't want to know, but…what happens if we can't break the spell in time?" Eric asked.

Ariel didn't want to have any more lies between her and Eric, but she knew it would be wiser to keep some things to herself. If Eric were to marry her, if the spell were to break, she'd want it to be purely because Eric loved her more than anything, or anyone, not just because he was afraid of doing such harm to her, or because he didn't want to ever give her up.

Ariel glanced up at him, weaving her hands together. "I turn back into a mermaid." She lied. "And go back to my family."

…

Eric knew what to do; what he had to do, and what he wanted to do. But he feared the consequences, he feared causing harm to a woman he loved, and a woman he liked. He found himself, for the umpteenth time, wishing that he had waited those three extra, three long years. For then he would be forging a path of bliss, instead of trying to clear thorns.

He would try and reduce pain as much as possible, and started with Ariel. He scooped her out of the boat and carried her back to the carriage, informing her that he would minimize her walking for the rest of her seven day curse.

 _She's done everything in her power. For him, for them. How can one girl be so selfless? She's put strain on her family, pressure on herself, and risked everything for a chance to bring together this love. Our love. It's meant to be. As if I needed any reassurance! We're meant to be. It's my turn to fix what I can now._

"But I don't want it to limit our adventures. I liked the sailing, I liked going to town, I like our carriage rides."

"We'll still go out, I promise. It might just be marked with the caveat that you'll spend plenty of time sitting, sound good?"

"Sounds great." Ariel smiled up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck. "What'll we do tomorrow?"

 _Unfortunately_ , Eric thought, _I can't change the fact that I did marry Cora, and while not of my own idea or desire, I did do it of my own will. I don't want to hurt her, I never wanted to, but is there any way it could be avoided._ He looked at the woman he held in his arms _. I can't leave Ariel behind. Not after everything we have together, not after finding her now. I've spent three years hoping Cora would turn into a girl like her, and now I have everything I want. Throwing it away would be stupid, plain and simple._

"Hm, I'm not sure. Anything you have in mind?"

"Not really." Ariel shrugged. "But you know your land, and land in general, much better than I." They both laughed at this, Eric still stung by disbelief that his savior woman disappeared from his kingdom only because she was never there to begin with. Her story was so far-fetched, but it made such perfect sense that he couldn't doubt it.

 _This won't be easy. I never planned to do this, but, then again, I never planned for this situation. I never would've married Cora if I thought it was realistic that I'd find Ariel again, but I was always stuck in this ugly space between hope and disappointment, where I figured it wouldn't happen, but still wondered if it could. And now I've made everything much worse. Well, no more. I'll fix everything._

"We'll think of something, tomorrow." Eric placed her in the carriage, then climbed in himself. "That way we get a night to sleep on it. How's that sound?"

"Just dandy. Besides, I can't think of much but my stomach anyway." Ariel placed her hands on her belly and leaned back.

"That hungry?" Eric laughed, snapping the reins and sending the horses in motion.

"Well, I'm thinking of everything I told you, and everything else that's been going on over the course of this adventure, but it's nice to have something off my chest. That space for worry just got replaced with hunger, I guess."

"Well then I'll be sure to have cook fix up your favorite."

Ariel leaned up against Eric and curled her feet up next to him. She closed her eyes and let herself be lulled by the carriage, and the two remained silent for the rest of the ride home, no longer needing words.

…

Everything was so tragically peaceful when they were gone. Cora found herself both tense and relaxed, as she was free to lay back and read or stitch, not needing to remain the perfect wife, and not needing to be on guard and keep Eric and Ariel apart. At the same time, there was a constant presence of nerves as it was inevitable that as soon as they were out of her sight, she couldn't see the pair anymore.

She was shaken from her stewed reverie as she heard the wheels on pavement, and the opening of gates. She put her stitching aside and rose to watch them pull back onto castle grounds. The doors closed behind _them_ , though _she_ felt the oxygen sucked out of her own space. What was she going to do? What power did she have left? Would Eric truly leave her? That would snuff out any remainders of Love, and Cora felt that was a crime seldom marked.

She moved out to a balcony, and rested her cheek upon her hand like Juliet, a panic building alongside her budding anger. If there would be any hope left for her marriage, for this love, she needed to act. She had concocted plans in her head, and dismissed them for being too over-the-top or unrealistic. Even now, nothing of substance came to her. They were past the point of talking, beyond being able to discuss everything that happened. Cora knew she couldn't wean him off Ariel, he was in too deep.

And then she watched as he scooped her out of the carriage, and she tangled herself up in him like she was laying claim. He carried her into the castle, over the threshold; bridal style. Cora clamped a hand over her mouth and, in the three years she had known Eric, saw wedding bells for the second time.

She moved quickly out the door and then paused as she felt a most unusual sensation. She laid a hand on her abdomen and felt it again. A movement. She counted back in her head and tried her best to regain her composure, moving once again with grace as she descended down the stairs to the ballroom.

Eric placed Ariel down on the floor, so gingerly, seeming to steady her the whole time. He looked up at Cora. "She hurt her feet."

Ariel had to stifle a snort at this, but Cora must have missed the joke.

She twisted her hands nervously, biting her lip and stepping closer to Eric.

"Did something happen?" he asked, recognizing the look he had so seldom seen.

"I – I have something to tell you. News." Cora said softly, closing the space between them.

"Are you okay? You seem nervous. Or anxious. I can never tell." Eric felt his pulse quicken. Ariel stood beside him, and she felt the same tension he did.

"I've been missing my courses, and, just now, I felt the baby quicken." Cora's voice wavered like she was either about to sing or scream. "I'm pregnant, Eric." Cora said, breaking out in a smile.

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	10. Chapter 10

Ariel didn't want to go down to breakfast the next day, and she didn't want to stay when she saw how Cora was glowing. Everything had changed. Cora had hardly touched her breakfast, claiming morning sickness, but her cheeks were flushed with pride as she leaned in to Eric, a hand on her cheek.

"Now of course I didn't want to say anything to you when I didn't know for sure." Cora continued. "Get you all excited for no reason."

"Well, you've got me now." Eric gave her a weak smile.

"That's what I was hoping."

"Mornin'" Ariel said softly, sitting down at the table.

Eric shot her a half-pleading look, trying to maintain a sense of moral composure.

"Babies, even just an idea, mean so much to me." Cora looked over at Ariel. "I'm sure you can understand my excitement."

"Yes, of course. Congratulations." Ariel smiled up at her, picking up a fork and poking at her breakfast.

It seemed as if all the magic and wonder of the worlds had been sucked out with this announcement, resigning Ariel to a fate of lapping against seashores, and after she had been so close, too. It was a moral knotting to break apart Eric and Cora's marriage, and that was when the situation would, at least in some way, benefit both parties, and, if nothing else, Cora may have, at least some day, understood. But taking a father from a baby, and a prince from his heir...Ariel didn't even have to ask Eric to know what he was thinking, and what he would do.

"We've wanted one for so long, you see." Cora continued, moving to eat some of her breakfast. "And upon the child's birth, they'll be my top priority, I assure you. Girl or boy. I've always considered myself maternal, and I can hardly contain my excitement!"

"I've never seen you this excited." Eric conceded.

"I'm sorry." Cora put a hand to cover her mouth, blocking her smile. "I know this must seem so out-of-character for me, and it is, but I feel like screaming my way through the castle. I've wanted this for so long." She turned back to her husband. "Look at us, Eric – a budding family!"

"I can see."

"I'll start nursery plans soon, probably. Once my nerves settle, so I don't do anything too ambitious." Cora paused to drink. "I want this child to be safe, so we'll put her away from the sea-facing side of the palace. You know, a seagull landed on my very windowsill just a few days ago. Large enough to eat a child!"

"That's fine." Eric nodded, poking at his food with the same excitement Ariel was.

Cora took another bite. "Not to mention the winds blowing in sand, or sudden storms. This child is going to be so blessed, she'll be loved more than any other baby ever was."

"You seem so sure it's a girl."

"Mothers know these things." Cora nodded, finishing her eggs. "I mean, not for sure, of course. I wouldn't be so arrogant. But right now I'm feeling like it's a girl. Who knows? Things change."

 _They certainly do_. Ariel huffed, all but giving up on producing an appetite.

"Here, Eric, if you're full I can show you the room I was thinking of." Cora patted her lips with a napkin and rose from the table.

"Yeah, I'm not very hungry this morning." Eric stood up and his wife walked over to meet him, taking his left arm.

Ariel sighed. Well, it's not like he could refuse. It's not like she expected him to. As he passed by Eric dropped a small piece of paper in front of her, and it tumbled into her lap. Ariel sat perfectly still, waiting for them to leave. Eric peeked over his shoulder, and Ariel nodded, signaling that she got it.

She tapped her thumbs on the outside of the folded note, and then opened it.

 ** _Meet me in the library. I don't know what we can do, but I still love you._**

Ariel couldn't finish her breakfast, but still poked at her food for another ten minutes, stewing in her own displeasure. There was nothing they could do, she could tell him that right now without having to meet anywhere. She wanted to, and had to be, his wife, and he didn't want her as anything else. But to leave Cora now, when she's not only with child, but with _his_ child, his _heir_? Impossible! No matter how much they loved each other, they couldn't push this aside.

But no matter how much she knew that they couldn't be together, she wanted to be with him. So she went to the library. Eric met her there roughly two hours later, looking like he had ventured to hell and back, as opposed to planned a nursery with his wife. He plopped down on the couch next to Ariel.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's not your fault." Ariel looked up at him. "I mean, in terms of biology, it is, but it's not like we were really in each other's lives more than four days ago."

"But that's the thing, we were! You came back for me on our anniversary every year, even though it hurt, and even though nothing might've come of it. I know I was still in your life." He reached for her hand. "And, I promise you, you were in mine. I spent months looking for you after you rescued me. I'd think of you all the time, the little bits I had of you anyway. I'd find myself playing your song, or thinking of your face or your hair." He ran his hand tenderly through her hair. "I spent three years wanting to do that, and I would've forgone anything in order to be able to." He sighed, and fell back. "But I was stupid, and I let myself get talked into visiting one princess during those three years, and talked into writing her, and talked into marrying her. If I was stronger, held out longer, this wouldn't be an issue."

Ariel let her face roll into his cupped hand, and one tear ran down her cheek onto his palm. "Don't." she said softly, painfully. She wouldn't break the curse. And not because Eric didn't love her. Because he was already obligated to a woman he didn't even love, and a baby he hadn't planned for.

"Ariel, I can't believe it. I mean, I can. It's plausible. I just, can't believe that this is happening now. There was no child for three years, we tried more at the beginning, you know. I had always wanted one, and so had she. This is a blessing, this is what I had wanted, but it's come at a cursed time."

Ariel's mind jumped to the Sea Witch, but she chose not to bring it up. She didn't have these kind of powers, did she? She leaned against Eric, but buried her sorrows against herself, resting her face to her knees.

"She's having my child. She's having my heir. I, of course, couldn't doubt her faithfulness, it is inarguably my child."

"Oh, _Eric_." Ariel lifted her head, looking back at him.

"I had made up my mind. I was going to do it as gently as possible, offer her anything else that I could, I would've taken anything she would've wanted to throw at me. Names, accusations, curses, or spite." He laughed and leaned back. "Granted, I wasn't even sure if she would." He wrapped his arms around Ariel and pulled her tighter. "But we were about to make it. We would've been together, broken our curses. But now-"

"You can't. We can't." Ariel finished. "I couldn't dream of asking you to."

The two leaned back on the couch and looked out the window at the ebbing tide. Ariel exhaled shakily as she saw how it pushed in sea foam. There was nothing left to do, but wait.

…

Cora longed for Will. To have her old friend, her old confidant back. She used to be able to tell him anything, and she had. Sometimes he would make annoying quips, but he'd always help her as best he could, even if he didn't always understand why she would take breakups so hard, or where exactly she focused her attention on.

But they hadn't spoken in so long, and even if she were to write him a letter, the response time would not be as immediate as she needed. So she sought out another source to dump her secrets into, and ended up down in the kitchens, where Carlotta was doing finishing touches on the cleanup, wiping down an already clean counter.

"Well if it isn't the glowing mother!" Carlotta beamed, walking over to Cora and hugging her.

"Hello, Carlotta." Cora said softly, hugging her back.

"Ooh, nerves got ya, honey? The first pregnancy is always the hardest, from beginning to birth. But you're a strong lady, you'll do just fine. You, like every other new mother, will worry too much, but you and the little baby will be fine."

"Yeah, my nerves got me something awful." Cora admitted. "And, I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk with me."

"Of course, honey!" Carlotta exclaimed, putting down the rag. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you promise you won't tell anyone?" Cora said, pausing between each word. "No matter what I ask, or what I tell you, you won't tell anyone?"

"Is something wrong?" Carlotta said softly. "Is the baby doing something strange? Is your body doing something strange?"

Cora snorted. "I guess if you want to think of it in that way."

"What do you mean?"

"If I were to be a pregnant woman, I certainly wouldn't be acting like it."

"What?"

"The baby hasn't moved, I haven't gotten morning sickness, my belly isn't sticking out-"

"Well, you could still be very early in the-"

"I haven't missed a single course." Cora said quickly. "Carlotta, I'm not pregnant. I want to be! I wish I was! But I'm _not_!"

"W-what?" Carlotta spluttered, reaching out for Cora.

"Oh, Carlotta, please don't say anything!" Cora pleaded. "I just feel awful, just awful! And I'll do my best to make sure a baby does come, even if it is a little later than we'd think."

"Why on earth would you tell such a lie?" Carlotta asked, in disbelief.

"Carlotta, I don't want to lose him!"

"Eric? Why, you're already married-"

"Well, tell _him_ that!" Cora screeched, bringing a hand to her mouth. "He's been running around with the foundling girl, Ariel, and I saw them kissing on the beach just two days ago! He loves her, he loves her, _he loves her_!" She brought her fists up to her head. "Carlotta, I didn't know what else to do! I thought she'd be here for a day or two and then go back to her family, but turns out she has no family, so she must just be taking mine!"

"Honey-"

"And I didn't mean to say it, honest! It wasn't something I planned, I just got this idea right up in my head and it stuck there. I watched as they came back from town yesterday. They were so close with each other, and he's never done that with me, and I'm his wife, of all things! He was carrying her around and her arms were around his neck and _he loves her_! I felt this burst of nerves in my stomach, because this whole thing is getting me twisted up in the worst way. And, oh, I feel like I'd do anything to just go back to normal, or even move forward! Some scenario without him loving someone else, even if he's not ready to love me yet. And that bit of nerves reminded me of another kind of abdomen pain, and I just thought, that if I'm not enough, then maybe a family would be. It might be easier to leave me, but his unborn child? I know Eric. More than he'd ever like to admit. He couldn't do that. I just wish it wasn't a lie."

"But it is, Cora." Carlotta said softly. "What Eric's doing isn't fair to you, at all, and I won't excuse him. But you can't trap him into loving you. If you box him into a corner, he won't respond with affection."

"I'm not laying a trap for him! I'm just trying to remind him that I am what he wants, and what he needs. He knows it too – he proposed to me! And I know how much he wants a child. When we were courting, he'd tell me about taking them sailing and doing all sorts of those ocean things he loves, and I know he wants one. Ariel doesn't have that! Whatever she does have, she hasn't given him a child."

Carlotta paused before speaking, but still said. "and neither have you. Eric is not a cow you're trying to place the highest bids for. This won't work Cora."

"I know that!" Cora's voice broke in a sob. "I know, but I still hope that it might. I feel so nervous, like I'm on the brink of hysteria all the time! I've never been like this before, but I'm just so _scared_." She swallowed a sob and continued. " 'Lotta, I think he planned to leave me. I think he was gonna say it, with Ariel standing right there. I had to stop him, and that's when I told him about the baby."

"I know you're scared, honey. I know, I know." Carlotta said soothingly, moving closer to the girl.

"Oh, I'm not this type of person!" Cora let out, leaning against the counter.

"No, honey, this does not define you. You're reacting the way many other wives would. You're scared. I understand."

"But I'm supposed to be better than this." Cora said weakly.

"You're still good. No matter what. You are pure goodness, Cora. I know that. I know you." Carlotta cupped her cheek, looking up at the girl.

"Thank you." Cora said softly, letting tears roll off her dark lashes. The girl could not fully compose herself, and continued. "Can I fight for him? Oh, she's stealing him from me!" Cora put her fists to her head and reeled.

"Honey pie," Carlotta reached out for the girl and brought her in, comforting. "You're young, so young, and you still think that lovers can be stolen. If they leave, it's of their own volition. That much I know to be true. And if they're bound to you, no price would be too high to pay, and nothing could keep them away from you."

"But." Cora spluttered, a tear running down her cheek. "What if he doesn't love me? What if he's not willing to pay a price? …Not willing to let go of Ariel."

Carlotta hugged the girl to her chest and let her weep out her fears and sorrows, not having the heart to let Cora know what would inevitably happen next.

…

Carlotta was always a woman careful to never make promises she couldn't keep. Which is why she was so careful in her conversations with Cora. She was bound first to her Lord, and second to her country, which was ruled over by a boy she had raised from essentially infancy. She didn't entirely like what Eric was doing, and, boy, would he get it when this had all blown over. But, right now, she had to tell him what she had learned.

She knocked on the door of his study, where he sat at his desk, face buried in his hands.

"Eric, darling?" she stepped him, walking over and resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Eric sniffed and lifted his head, looking at her. Carlotta bent down and hugged the boy.

"What is it, Lotty?" Eric said, using a name he had claimed to outgrow when he was twelve.

"I've got some news to tell you." She said, leaning against the desk. "And I think it's something you're going to want to hear."

 **Review, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

Ariel moved out to the sea, standing amongst the sea foam on the shore. She closed her eyes and rested there. How would it end? Would she collapse into sea foam wherever she stood? Would it be the next time she touched the sea? Or the next time she touched water at all? Would a summer storm wash her away, down the gutters and out to the sand? Would it hurt to go? She didn't want answers to these questions, but she couldn't stop them from springing to her mind.

She let out a shuttering sigh, and retreated farther away from the castle, sitting down in the water. Her skirts floated up around her, and she leaned back, supporting her weight on her hands. A _baby_. The sun was just barely rising on her sixth day, and it was astonishing to her that she'd be leaving this fantastic world so soon. Seven days was not enough, but, of course, she knew from the start that it wouldn't be. She just always thought she would've gotten more.

That was it; that was the line she would not cross. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and prayed for a miracle. And, whether he was divinely sent or happening along, Eric trotted across the beach towards her. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head was bent forward. Ariel exhaled, loudly, and fell back into the water, immersing herself. She was happy to see him; but what could he say?

…

Maybe Eric should've felt guilty. And maybe he should've felt guilty for _not_ feeling guilty. But the facts of the matter were that he felt only relieved. Cora wasn't pregnant. She never was. He was still married to her, but no innocent parties were left in the mix. He scampered to tell Ariel, and had to bow his head to hide a smile. Should he really be happy right now?

He bounded into the sea beside her, and she pulled her head above water just as he sat down.

"What happened?" she furrowed her brow. He was smiling, he was happy! What could have possibly happened?

"I'm not going to say that things are easy now, and, in fact, they're as complicated as they've ever been." Eric laughed at this.

"Believe me, I know." Ariel bemoaned. "Oh, Eric."

"But listen," he grabbed her hand, and Ariel almost jumped.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"Just a few hours ago I was sitting in my office, going over everything again and trying to figure out exactly if anything could be done."

Ariel sighed again. Nothing could.

Eric continued "and Carlotta came in, saying that there was something she found out, something I'd probably want to hear."

"Oh?" Ariel sat up, rolling onto her hip. "Eric, what happened?"

"Cora had come to her late this past evening, upset and ranting."

"And?"

"And she's not pregnant." Eric said the sentence aloud, and it felt so good he had to say it again. "Cora is not pregnant. Not with my child, not with any child, she just isn't."

"Oh, Eric!" Ariel sat up straight, flicking out her hand.

"It's incredible. We're really no further than we were a few days ago, but I feel like a weight has lifted."

"I as well." Ariel laughed a little, in spite of yourself. "Are we terrible?"

"I think we've been over this."

"I just don't feel as bad as I think I'm supposed to."

"It's just…." Eric scooted closer to her. "I've always had this idea of what love and marriage would be, and how I should feel. Would feel. But it just didn't happen for a lot of my young life, and it especially didn't happen with Cora. But with you, I feel everything I want to, I feel how I should. And I can't see anything wrong with that."

"I love you." Ariel murmured.

"I can't let you go." Eric shook his head. "Not a second time, and not after everything."

Ariel felt her heart beat more quickly, and looked up at him."

"I'll tell Cora."

…

The Sea Witch was cackling, and nothing good came of that. She flicked her wrist once more, and continued to watch scenes unfold, of Eric and Ariel, and Cora's laments. Her spell was working out most splendidly, and she relished in the misery of these humans – and one former mermaid.

But, as always, this pain was not enough. More pain was more joy for her, and why just stab them in the back when she could also twist the knife? Ursula laid back on her lounge and thought. Ideas were never too far in her subconscious, it was merely a matter of rooting through more benign ones.

And, lo, one came to fruition.

Perfect, in both its simplicity and complexity. It would appear kind to the one she approached, portray her in a fairy-godmother like sense. Ursula laughed at this; she was never viewed in that light for long. But, as always, darker ambitions hid beneath.

Ursula got to brewing, tossing in ingredients and bottling up potions. With one last concoction, she reached for a ladle and drank it herself, transforming into a human herself; slowly, painlessly, a gentle transformation that progressed with each kick to the surface.

…

Cora knew she was losing him, but she didn't know that he was long gone. She didn't want to bow out gracefully, because that included the caveat that she would have to bow out. But, oh, what could she do? Eric had to hate her by now, after lying about the baby. She regretted it with an almost tangible intensity. But she was desperate, and, unknowingly, running out of time.

She took to her gardens, hoping a stroll would soothe her, as it had so many times before. Cora closed her eyes and stood amongst the life, trying to regulate her breathing and soothe herself. _Count, one, two, three, exhale, one, two, three, inhale._ She flicked open her eyes, and standing in front of her was a haggard old woman, cloaked and hunched, dripping wet.

Cora screamed and stepped back.

"Did I surprise you, dear?" The Sea Witch, in her new form, tried to appear sympathetic and kind.

Cora's heart nearly beat out of her chest. "Yes! I'm sorry for…yelling, you just!-"

"Oh my, I really thought you had seen me. I guess I was just in such a hurry to get to you."

"Do I?-"

"You don't know me." The witch assured, taking a small step closer to Cora. "But I can help you. I want to."

Cora did not back away. "How?" she bit her lip and wrapped her arms about herself. "Exactly?"

"Well." The witch produced a covered basket. "I understand your husband has a bit of a wandering eye."

Cora couldn't bring herself to defend him. "And how could you possibly fix that?"

"Why, with this!" The witch reached into her basket and pulled out a small vial. "Have him drink this. It's odorless and tasteless, and can be combined with anything. He'll be bound to you completely for three days, got that? Three days. By the time the spell breaks, I assure you, the other girl will be driven away."

"How could you even make sure a thing?"

"I have powers, ones I have chosen to use for good. I'm here to help, Cora."

Cora did not even ask how the witch could have known her name, as this woman, this angel, had just produced the most perfect solution.

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Cora reached out for the potion, but the witch snapped her hand back.

"Not so fast." The witch held out a finger. "I am giving you a perfect happily ever after, and this must come with a price, no?"

"Well, I suppose." Cora conceded. "What do you want?"

The witch paused, smiling. "Eric will be bound to you with this potion. And as time passes, you'll enjoy your life together, and a child will come."

"Oh, wonderful-"

"And when that time does come, you must give me your first born child."

Cora did not stall, or balk. She held out her hand for the potion. "It's a deal."

 **Review, please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, welcome to day seven, and the final day of Ariel's spell. Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited, or contacted me about the story, your words really do mean a lot. This is the final chapter, but if I get requests I can write an epilogue or two (which are generally happier).**

 **For anyone who follows me as a writer, I will eventually get back to the Frozen and AG stories, but I also think I'm going to do a Tangled one. I'm sketching that out now, so if you like Rapunzel too, I've got great news.**

 **So, enjoy the chapter, and, as always, please review!**

…

If she were never to see another day, Ariel would enjoy the one she had. There was always more waiting for her, beyond the expanses of the ocean, the heights of the sky, and the bounds of her own heart. She knew Eric loved her, so she had received the love she wanted the most, and the true human experience; unfair, messy, blissful experience.

She knew he would take a stand for her, and the hope pulsed through her body, from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes. There was more, whether or not it was being a human, whether or not it was Eric. She hoped it was, but after years of yearning and a week of worrying, she was at peace with her future, for she had hope. And what, after all, maintains humanity despite tragedy, mankind's failing, and loss, if not hope for brighter futures and the courage to build them?

Ariel knew she had won her humanity. Even, were she to lose her legs to a life of sea foam, she had found her humanity.

…

How unfair. How absolutely callous and unfair. Cora sat on the edge of gardens, where she could overlook the sea, and see the tides wash away the footprints and imprints made by a couple that did not include her. Ariel and Eric had left moments earlier, after talking and laughing together. Eric had found out, but she guessed she always knew Carlotta would've told. Hopefully it was better this way.

Cora rolled the vial between her palms. How unfair; that she was pushed to these points, that she had to fight so hard for a marriage Eric could simply step away from. Did he not realize what was at stake? Love. The purest, yet most easily corrupted part of our universe. If he actually left her, it would extinguish like a candle in a storm and she would be left without Love, and without him.

She felt the knots of guilt, having stooped to the manipulative levels she never knew she was capable of. A false pregnancy. Bartering a potion from a witch – with an unborn child at stake! Babies, even as an idea, meant so much to her. She felt like a hypocrite and a snake, but couldn't bring herself to toss the vial into the ocean, to dump it out, to spill even a precious drop, because that would mean all was lost.

But how to execute this? She couldn't force it down his throat, and he wouldn't drink a vial of potion without asking questions: Eric wasn't stupid. The witch said it would mix with anything, and all of this generally seemed too good to be true! But Cora supposed she had to simply trust the witch – it's not like anyone else was on her side.

Breakfast would be soon, but Cora inherently knew that Eric wouldn't come. He'd be with Ariel, and she'd drag him away from the concept of time and envelop him in their little world; where one runs in and out of the sea with little concern of the sand displaced or sun exposure. She would meet him again at dinnertime, and that would be her last shot. Cora wrapped her fingers individually around the vial, savoring the little smacks her skin made against the glass. This was a solution, and it was real, physically present, and in her left hand. She snapped her ring finger around, and felt a quick pang, as she realized her wedding ring still presented itself, just as it always had.

…

He had always dreamed of the sea, and existing in a marriage where he was tied to land seemed so strange, so foreign, even after years. As a child, as a young man, in all his former years, Eric had thought of his wedding on and off. Eric didn't think he thought of his wedding an improper amount – it crossed his mind from time to time (it was a significant decision, after all), but he didn't find himself constantly preoccupied with it.

But he had always dreamed of the sea, and being able to share it. He didn't own it, of course, but he knew the best spots for swimming, the days to go sailing, and although it wasn't his, it was his. And he wanted to give these parts away and spread them around; with a wife, with his children.

Eric thought of his boyhood dreams as he sat down in the sand, watching Ariel sprint into the water and splash around.

He had pictured a grand wedding, with all his friends and family on a well-decorated boat, sailing out to the sea just in time to catch the sunset. As they'd go farther out, the space would become all theirs, and he and his bride would just be a speck on the ocean, floating and bobbing as they held each other and recited vows. Eric had pictured cutting cake and popping open champagne, not minding if a little shot overboard, because it looked like sea foam anyway. He had pictured being married aboard his favorite ship.

He had pictured taking a child out sailing. Sometimes he pictured a boy, sometimes he pictured a girl. It didn't truly matter. Sometimes he pictured both. Their features changed, with changing hair and eye colors. Changing skin tones and heights. He pictured them as all sort of different people; all sorts of looks and personalities. A scrawny blonde boy leaping overboard into waves. A tall, tan girl sticking her leaning over the side of the boat, swiping at fish with every intent to grab one. Eric had pictured all sorts of children, but they were always on the sea.

He had pictured himself taking his whole family out, far away from the castle, to see news parts of the beach. Gather new shells. Feel new water. But they were always as bound to the sea as he, and knew that when he was sharing it with them he was telling them how he loved his family, and how he was bringing them there because there's no one else he'd want there.

Eric had pictured the sea, and Eric had pictured the scene he was living right now. Just in front of the castle, a bit north of it to be specific. He laid on the beach and felt sand creep under his hems, and watched as his favorite girl ran farther into the water, loving it as much as he always had.

"Eric, get in here!" Ariel laughed, splashing water back at him. But she was too far from the shore, and it didn't land anywhere close.

"Well, who could refuse that argument?" Eric laughed, pulling off his boot and running in after her.

Eric had pictured his life, and in life in the sea. He could attach words and scenes to it. But, Eric was only now aware that he was picturing Ariel, a girl who felt the waves running through her, and felt as bound to the ocean as one could be. He was picturing Ariel, and now, children with her features and spirit. They would be bound together in time soon enough, for once a person could find direction to their dreams, they pursued them. And he had always dreamed of the sea.

…

Eric missed breakfast. He and Ariel had spent the morning at the beach, laughing and purely enjoying each other's company and conversation. They walked into the castle hand in hand, already bound to each other in a way they were only starting to put credit to.

"I'll talk with Cora after dinner."

"Are you nervous?" Ariel asked. She felt anxious to see how Cora would react, nervous that it would somehow go wrong, but she didn't feel guilty.

"A little. No one really ever plans to have this conversation." Eric laughed without humor. "But even though it should be wrong, I feel like this is the right thing. For us – the us that's her and me, and the us that's me and you."

"This is so messy." Ariel stuck her tongue out, and stepped into the castle.

"We'll clean it up. We're working on it."

Ariel felt the last beams of sun on the back of her neck. It was the seventh day, and there was perhaps two hours left until sunset. Just enough time for Eric to speak with Cora, and propose to her. Should nothing go wrong, it'd be smooth sailing from this day forward. Should something go wrong…

Ariel chose not to meditate on that, and merely moved closer to the dining hall.

…

Cora was already sitting at the table. It was set for three. That was normal now.

She fingered the vial one last time.

 _Well, do it! What are you waiting for?_

She uncorked it.

 _If he doesn't want you, how is this supposed to help? The witch said it'd bind him to me for three days, and that Ariel would be gone by then. That's a good start, but she never said that it'd make him love me. Will losing Ariel simply slide me into her place? Unlikely._

She looked over at the door. The couple hadn't entered yet, but would likely soon.

 _Just do it! He might not love you after all this is done, sure. But at least you'll know you tried everything. You'd be no worse off, besides. Best case scenario, Ariel's gone, and he finally falls for you. Love is saved. Worse case, well, this is it._

Cora nodded, assuring her resolve, and dumped every drop into Eric's goblet, which was already filled with white wine. She let out a shuttering sigh, and leaned back in her chair, just as Ariel and Eric walked in.

"Evening." Eric said, a little stiffly, as if he was nervous.

They sat down, and the first course was brought out. Eric's goblet sat in between him and Cora, and she had to will herself from looking at it every moment. Act natural.

 _You're doing the wrong thing! You tricked him once and you felt horrible about that!_

Her mind raced. What could be done now, anyway?

 _It's too late. Who cares! He deserves this anyway. He proposed and married you of his own free will, it's about time he acted like it._

She took a bite of food, but didn't taste it.

 _But winning his love this way, should you do it all, would be worthless. If love isn't willingly and freely given, it isn't true. He may love Ariel, you don't know, but you do know that he doesn't love you. And that's the end of it, and you can't change it. You can keep on loving him til the day you die, but you can't make him love you back. And no matter how you try and force it, it won't come._

She tried to push back on her own thoughts.

 _Oh, but it isn't fair! He's my husband, he's the man I've spent years with, he's supposed to love me!_

But she could feel her own arguments wearing thin.

 _Love is never owed. Not under any circumstances. In some senses it may be reasonable or logical to expect it, but you aren't owed a certain amount of tenderness, affection, or concern. You want it, you may deserve it, but Eric doesn't have to love you._

Cora flicked her eyes over to Eric. He still hadn't taken a sip of his drink. His hand moved, as if to grab for it, and Cora flicked her hand to the side, knocking the goblet over and spilling every last drop of its contents onto the floor.

Ariel made a startled noise and Eric looked concerned.

"Oops." Cora said flatly. "I just had a hand spasm."

A maid scurried over to clean the mess and get Eric a fresh glass of wine.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful.

…

Eric waited until Cora left the table of her own volition, and then decided it was time to talk to her. Ariel bid him good luck as he went off seeking her, and eventually found her in the room that would've been the baby's nursery.

Eric paused in the doorway and teetered back and forth on his feet. He wondered if Cora heard him or sensed his presence. But she ignored him, standing in the middle of the room and looking out the window at her gardens, so he couldn't be sure.

"Cora, I have to tell you something. Something I think you already know."

She turned slowly the face him, and sat down in one of two plush chairs. She had planned to nurse here. Cora let out a shaky exhale, motioning to the seat right by her. She felt weakened by nerves, and they clutched at her in waves she hadn't anticipated. She hoped that they would ebb soon.

"Cora, I don't want to hurt you."

They wouldn't.

"You've said enough."

Eric dipped his head down. "I won't ask for your forgiveness."

"You may receive it one day." She spoke softly, with all the strength she could muster. "Just, not today." She leaned forward, and covered his hands with hers. "I do still love you, Eric. And like you. I still have faith that you're a good man. But I understand that, even with all of that, you won't come back to me. I'm glad you found love, even if it had to happen this way."

"You're too good."

Cora did not disagree. "I get to make this decision, and I get to be selfish now. I'm not going to be in a marriage where you don't love me. I'm leaving, Eric."

"I'm sorry." He said again, sincerely and sadly.

She pursed her lips. "I am too." Cora rose, looking down at him; he was hunched forward enough to reach only her knee. "I don't want my things. Not most of them, anyway. I'll take what I want, and I'll be gone within the hour."

"Please, let me make sure you're able to get wherever you need to."

"No. Eric, I don't want your help." Cora said firmly. "I don't want to borrow your horses, or use your trunks, or have you write to me. I will take things that were mine long before I married you, and I'll get to where I need to go of my own volition. Please, do not send for me, search for me, or write to me. When I'm ready, I'll contact you." She nodded.

"As you wish." Eric nodded, seated still.

Cora sighed, looking at him one last time. "Goodbye, my prince."

…

Some moments are meant to be private, for the sake of respect, and, in this case, for the sake of understanding that, after all a couple has been through, they deserve a few moments alone.

Eric's proposal is one of those moments. He met Ariel on the beach afterwards, and they consoled each other, promising to talk more that evening. He proposed to her; simply, and ringless. He swore he'd do it properly once they were out of the woods, but with a curse hanging over them, time was of the essence, and the sun was about to set.

He cried, she cried, and before the sun set, they were betrothed to each other.

…

Cora wept, not inherently for the loss of her husband or her marriage, but for the loss of Love itself, a material she had always reckoned too precious, too fleeting, to be wasted or foregone. She rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes, and found it almost alarming that she wasn't bawling, that she wasn't simply dissolving into tears. She thought she'd be more upset. Sobbing, raging, anything! She was upset, yes, ending a marriage hurt no matter what, but she felt strangely at peace, like a wound had been closed, but still stung.

She removed her wedding band and walked across the hall, carrying it clenched up in her palm. Cora tossed it into the sea that Eric loved so much. She wouldn't have it anywhere near her gardens, and she couldn't bear to keep it on her person.

Feeling suddenly quite free, she crept out of the palace and down to the water. A strange sense had possessed her, like she was being drawn there through a spell. Maybe it was finally her time to understand this part of Eric that had so long eluded her. Maybe this was closure.

She felt like she was waning; on the cusp of fainting. But still, she plodded forward to the seashore. No one was in sight, for miles on either side of her. Even a faraway form could not be spotted.

Oh! She yelped as she felt a pang on her foot. Had something bitten her? No! She felt it again, at the small of her back, at the nape of her neck. She grabbed at herself as the sun took away it's light, forcing her to examine her body is quickly approaching darkness. Ow! Ow! Ow! Cora stumbled forward, reaching the water itself, and she felt to her knees. They felt like they were fizzing, and she began to cry because _what was happening!_

She tried to cry out for help, but her voice choked, and no one was there to help her anyway. She fell forward, trying to right herself with her pained limbs and spazzing mind.

The Sea Witch laughed, reclining and watching from below. Echoing through the her lair was her prophecy; _whoever Eric rejects as his partner will be reduced to sea foam, and doomed to float inconsequentially throughout the sea._

All Cora had built and become was ripped from her and it hurt, hurt, hurt, as she dissolved into the sea. It hurt, and then it didn't. She felt light, and shallow, and allowed herself to float freely and comingle with the waves. She was dragged off the shore, out to mix with the rest of the sea foam, and feel the touch of souls lost to the sea times ago.

…

The couple moved down to their true home, and found solace on the beach. Night had come, and they were so wrapped up in each other, it seemed as if they were affixed to the sky themselves.

Ariel began to dream up plans for a wedding, on the grandest wedding ship you ever saw! A reception with a three tier cake, a ring-bearing dog, and a flower seagull. There were plans in her head for a dress layered like waves, and as light as foam.

Ariel and Eric stood together, knee deep in water, Ariel relevelling in how she could dance, forever, even here. Eric looked down at her and beamed, she had this pull on him that rendered him powerless; left him feeling like sea foam on a wave. The future bounded out in front of them like a small boat pushed out by the Caspian Winds. They came together and kissed, their love as deep as the sea, and pure as a young girl's voice.


End file.
